Persecuted Pakistani Hindus Demand Justice, Protest At UN Council Against Fundamentalists, Imran Khan Government
New Age Islam News Bureau
11
Jul 2020
• Turkey's
President Formally Makes Iconic Hagia Sophia A Mosque
• UK Showers
Saudis With Apologies Hastily After Criticizing Riyadh Regime’s Rights Record:
Report
• Taliban,
Despite 'Peace' Talks, Led the World by Far In 2019 Terrorist Attacks, Study
Finds
• Tablighi
Jamaat: Court Allows 62 Malaysians,11 Saudis To Walk Free on Fine of Rs 7k And
Rs 10K
• Think Tank
Expresses Alarm at Anti-Transgender Sentiment by Islamic Affairs Minister
• Mass Grave
Uncovered In Former ISIS Territory Of Northern Iraq
• Troops Kill
92 Boko Haram Terrorists, Rescue 35 Captives
------
Pakistan
• Persecuted
Pakistani Hindus Demand Justice, Protest At UN Council Against Fundamentalists,
Imran Khan Government
• E-7 Seminary
Dispute Temporarily Defused After Former Lal Masjid Cleric Leaves
• Minorities
enjoy equal rights in Pakistan: Tahir Ashrafi
• Justice
Isa’s wife makes public her reply to FBR
• Pakistan
Ensuring Completion Of FATF Action Plan: Shaikh
• ATC to
indict Uzair Baloch in eight more criminal cases
--------
Mideast
• Turkey's
President Formally Makes Iconic Hagia Sophia A Mosque
• Turkey’s
Erdogan may be seriously pursuing his nuclear ambitions: Expert
• Iran says
not surprised by Western concerns about strategic ties with China
• Iran to
Retaliate Once Foreign Hand Proven in Natanz Incident
• Rouhani
Calls for Re-enforcement of Virus-Related Restrictions
• Macron asks
Israeli PM Netanyahu to drop West Bank annexation plans
• Hundreds
gather in West Bank for funeral of Palestinian shot by Israeli soldiers
• Iran
executes man for drinking alcohol: Rights group
--------
Europe
• UK Showers
Saudis With Apologies Hastily After Criticizing Riyadh Regime’s Rights Record:
Report
• Bosnia
Muslims Mourn Their Dead 25 Years After Srebrenica Massacre
• French
jihadist to be retried as prosecutors seek life term
• Russia
rejects ‘unscrupulous speculation’ alleging offer of bounties to Taliban
• Turkey, UK
'very close' to free trade deal
--------
South Asia
• Taliban,
Despite 'Peace' Talks, Led the World by Far In 2019 Terrorist Attacks, Study
Finds
• Kuwait may
charge Bangladesh envoy in human trafficking case
• Bangladesh
says Rohingya refugees can't leave island
• 28 Georgian
soldiers infected with coronavirus in Afghanistan
• Explosion
reported close to a ministry compound in Kabul city
• Roadside
bomb kills, wounds 5 children in South of Afghanistan
--------
India
• Tablighi
Jamaat: Court Allows 62 Malaysians,11 Saudis To Walk Free on Fine of Rs 7k And
Rs 10K
• Muslims From
Malerkotla, Punjab, Offer 330 Quintal Wheat for Langar At Golden Temple
• A New Temple
and A Mosque Would Be Constructed in The New Secretariat Complex, Says
Telangana CM
• Temple,
Mosques at Telangana Secretariat Razed, Congress, BJP Say Superstitious KCR’s
Days Are Numbered
• NIA names IS
operative in TN cop’s murder case
• J-K: Army
foils infiltration attempt along LoC; 2 militants killed
• J&K News
Portal Editor Summoned Again Over HizbGunfight Coverage
--------
Southeast Asia
• Think Tank
Expresses Alarm at Anti-Transgender Sentiment by Islamic Affairs Minister
• Come meet
Agong with me to talk interfaith harmony, federal unity minister tells Sarawak
DCM
• Perak
Islamic religious council sponsored students have until July 17 to decide on
varsity offer
--------
Arab world
• Mass Grave
Uncovered In Former ISIS Territory Of Northern Iraq
• Saudi-led
coalition in Yemen says explosive-laden boats destroyed
• UN Rights
Chief Says Lebanon ‘Spiralling Out of Control’
• Iraq PM
Kadhimi pays respects to slain scholar’s family, calls him ‘hero’
• SDF
continues pressure on ISIS remnants in northeast Syria
• Egypt army
drill ‘sends a message to Erdogan’
• OIC, GCC
chiefs discuss boosting cooperation
--------
Africa
• Troops Kill
92 Boko Haram Terrorists, Rescue 35 Captives
• Burkina
Faso's Volunteer Fighters Are No Match for Jihadists
• Libya's
Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh Issa arrives in Geneva for ceasefire talks
• Libya:
Haftar’s army of foreign mercenaries growing
--------
North America
• US Court
Orders Iran To Pay $879 Mln To Saudi Arabia's Khobar Bombing Survivors
• UN Official:
700 People Died in Syrian Camps for IS Families
• Biden as
president will raise Kashmir issue with India, says his adviser
• Pentagon
chief confirms he was briefed on intelligence about Russian payments to the
Taliban
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/persecuted-pakistani-hindus-demand-justice/d/122347
--------
Persecuted
Pakistani Hindus demand justice, protest at UN council against fundamentalists,
Imran Khan government
Jul 10, 2020
Persecuted
Pakistan Hindus demand justice, protest at UN council against fundamentalists,
Imran Khan govt
-----
GENEVA:
Highlighting the plight of Hindus in Pakistan, a group of protesters on Friday
(local time) gathered at UN Headquarters in Geneva during the 44th session of
UN Human Rights Council to protest against the persecution faced by them at the
hands of the Islamic fundamentalists supported by Imran Khan government.
"Hindus
in Pakistan are systematically marginalised, persecuted and discriminated which
led to an increased level of violence notably religiously motivated kidnapping,
assault, sexual crimes and murder. Hate messages against Hindus, who form a
minuscule minority in Pakistan, are routinely expressed by Pakistan lawmakers
and politicians," said the protesters.
Moreover, the
hard-line radical Islamists in Pakistan oppose the construction of the Hindu
temple claiming that it is contrary to the idea of the Islamic nation.
Recently, one Hindu temple in Sindh was brutally attacked by an Islamist mob.
"These
attacks are often orchestrated by Islamists leaders who enjoy patronage and
protection by the Pakistani government. And Twitter, Facebook is filled by
people glorifying this act," the protesters said.
For decades,
the minority communities in Pakistan, including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians,
have been attacked by the Islamist fundamentalists. The protesters informed
that Pakistan's persecution of minorities was recently exposed in a poster put
up by a leader of Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI), giving an open threat to the Hindus.
In May, the
Human Rights Commission in a tweet had condemned the razing of houses of people
from the Hindu and Christian communities in Punjab province's Bahawalpur city.
The houses were allegedly brought down by local authorities with political
influence.
"HRCP is
gravely concerned at reports that houses belonging to the Hindu and Christian
communities of Yazman in Bahawalpur have been demolished, allegedly by local
authorities with political influence," Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
tweeted.
"Evictions,
the demolition of people's houses, and land grabbing, especially when such
communities are doubly vulnerable, are highly condemnable. HRCP will conduct an
independent fact-finding exercise to investigate," HRCP added.
Pakistan is a
well-known perpetrator of such human rights violations. On several occasions,
it has promised to safeguard the interest of minority communities in the
nation. However, continuing attacks on minorities narrate a different story.
Islamabad has
been discriminating against its religious minorities. This is manifested in
various forms of targeted violence, mass murders, extrajudicial killings,
abduction, rapes, forced conversion to Islam, etc., making Pakistani Hindus,
Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadiyyas, and Shias the most persecuted minorities in the
region.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/persecuted-pakistani-hindus-demand-justice-protest-at-un-council-against-fundamentalists-imran-khan-government/articleshow/76899950.cms
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Turkey's
President Formally Makes Iconic Hagia Sophia A Mosque
11 July 2020
Muslims offer
their evening prayers outside the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul's
main tourist attractions in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul,
following Turkey's Council of State's decision, Friday, July 10, 2020. Turkey's
highest administrative court issued a ruling Friday that paves the way for the
government to convert Hagia Sophia - a former cathedral-turned-mosque that now
serves as a museum - back into a Muslim house of worship. The Council of State
threw its weight behind a petition brought by a religious group and annulled a
1934 cabinet decision that changed the 6th century building into a museum. (AP
Photo/Emrah Gurel)
----
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday formally reconverted Istanbul's
sixth-century iconic Hagia Sophia into a mosque and declared it open to Muslim
worship, hours after a high court annulled a 1934 decision that had turned it
into a museum.
The decision
to reconvert Hagia Sophia — a former cathedral that was turned into a mosque
after Istanbul's conquest by the Ottoman Empire and had served as a museum for
86 years — sparked deep dismay among Orthodox Christians.
But there was
jubilation outside Hagia Sophia. Dozens of people who awaited the court's
ruling outside chanted “Allah is great!” when the news came out.
Turkey's high
administrative court threw its weight behind a petition brought by a religious
group and annulled the 1934 Cabinet decision that turned the site into a
museum. Within hours, Erdogan signed a decree handing over Hagia Sophia to
Turkey's Religious Affairs Presidency.
Erdogan has
demanded that the the hugely symbolic world heritage site should be turned back
into a mosque despite widespread international criticism, including from the
United States and Orthodox Christian leaders. The move could also deepen
tensions with neighboring Greece.
Cypriot
Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides, a Greek Cypriot, posted on his official
Twitter account that Cyprus “strongly condemns Turkey's actions on Hagia Sophia
in its effort to distract domestic opinion and calls on Turkey to respect its
international obligations.” Christodoulides said Turkey's “escalating, flagrant
violation of its international obligations is manifested in its decision to
alter the designation of Hagia Sophia, a world heritage site that is a
universal symbol of the Orthodox faith.”
Nationalist
and conservative groups have long been yearning to hold prayers at Hagia
Sophia, which they regard as part of the Muslim Ottoman legacy. Others believe
the UNESCO World Heritage site should remain a museum, as a symbol of Christian
and Muslim solidarity.
The group that
brought the case to court had contested the legality of the 1934 decision by
the modern Turkish republic's secular government ministers and argued that the
building was the personal property of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, who conquered
Istanbul in 1453.
The court
ruled that Hagia Sophia was the property of a foundation managing the Sultan's
assets and was opened up to the public as a mosque.
The
Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, considered the spiritual
leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, warned in late June that the
building's conversion into a mosque “will turn millions of Christians across
the world against Islam.”
Patriarch
Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, called for “prudence” and
the preservation of the “current neutral status” for the Hagia Sophia, which he
said was one of Christianity's “devoutly venerated symbols.”
In a statement
this week, he said: “Russia is a country with the majority of the population
professing Orthodoxy, and so, what may happen to Hagia Sophia will inflict
great pain on the Russian people.” U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo said last
month that the landmark should remain a museum to serve as bridge between
faiths and cultures. His comments sparked a rebuke from Turkey's Foreign
Ministry, which said Hagia Sophia was a domestic issue of Turkish national
sovereignty.
Erdogan, a
devout Muslim, has frequently used the Hagia Sophia issue, which sits at the
heart of Turkey's religious-secular divide, to drum up support for his
Islamic-rooted party.
Some Islamic
prayers have been held in the museum in recent years and in a major symbolic
move, Erdogan recited the opening verse of the Quran in the Hagia Sophia in
2018.
Built under
Byzantine Emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia was the main seat of the Eastern
Orthodox church for centuries, where emperors were crowned amid ornate marble
and mosaic decorations.
Four minarets
were added to the terracotta-hued structure with cascading domes and the
building was turned into an imperial mosque following the 1453 Ottoman conquest
of Constantinople — the city that is now Istanbul.
The building
opened its doors as a museum in 1935, a year after the Council of Ministers'
decision.
Mosaics
depicting Jesus, Mary and Christian saints that were plastered over in line
with Islamic rules were uncovered through arduous restoration work for the
museum.
Hagia Sophia
was the most popular museum in Turkey last year, drawing more than 3.7 million
visitors.
News reports
have said the conversion could occur in time for prayers on July 15, when
Turkey marks the quashing of a coup attempt in 2016.
A poll
conducted in June by Istanbul Economy Research showed 46.9% of respondents
favored Hagia Sophia being opened to Muslim worship while 38.8% said it should
remain a museum. 13% said it should be open to worship for all religions.
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/world-news-turkeys-president-formally-makes-iconic-hagia-sophia-a-mosque/356443
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UK showers
Saudis with apologies hastily after criticizing Riyadh regime’s rights record:
Report
10 July 2020
Slain US-based
dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (L) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Salman (Photo via Twitter)
----
The United
Kingdom has reportedly offered Saudi Arabia profuse apologies, only days after
London publicly leveled criticism against the ultra-conservative kingdom over
its human rights abuses and imposed sanctions on the Riyadh regime in this
regard.
According to a
report published by the online publisher The Independent, British officials
“called to apologize” to the Riyadh regime on Monday after the government
imposed economic sanctions on 20 Saudi nationals held responsible for the
killing of US-based dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Khashoggi, a
59-year-old Washington Post columnist, was killed at the Saudi consulate in
Istanbul on October 2, 2018. Turkish officials said his body was dismembered by
the killers and his remains have yet to be found.
Turkish
prosecutors indicted 20 Saudi nationals over the gruesome murder, including
several with close ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS).
Some Western
governments and intelligence services, as well as the CIA, say they believe
MbS, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, ordered the killing.
British
Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is understood to have discreetly telephoned the
Saudi crown prince, who is also the kingdom’s Saudi defense minister, on
Wednesday to reiterate the UK’s support for the Riyadh regime and its work.
The call was
not publicized by the British government, but Saudi Arabia’s state-run news
agency SPA boasted about it in a press statement released on Wednesday.
“His Royal
Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defense,
received yesterday a phone call from His Excellency British Defense Secretary
[sic], Mr. Ben Wallace, during which the partnership between the two countries
was discussed, especially in the defense field, and the efforts made by the two
countries to enhance regional and international security,” the statement read.
Layla Moran, a
candidate in the ongoing Liberal Democrat leadership contest, told The
Independent, “It looks like the UK government took action against Saudi individuals
one day, then called to apologize privately the next.”
“This sends
completely the wrong message to nations and individuals involved in human
rights abuses around the world,” she said.
“The
government needs to decide once and for all what kind of global nation they
intend the UK to be: a global champion of liberal values or an apologist for
human rights abusers,” Moran pointed out.
The report of
the call comes as the UK is going to resume weapons sales to Saudi Arabia
despite international concerns the munitions could be used in the years-long
war on Yemen.
Opposition
legislators and campaigners against the arms trade slammed the “morally
indefensible” decision by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative
government.
Last year, a
court ruling concluded that the UK's licensing of arms sales to Saudi Arabia
was unlawful. The verdict was passed after campaigners argued that British
officials had failed to make a proper assessment of humanitarian risks.
Saudi Arabia
and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating war on Yemen in
March 2015 in order to bring Saudi-backed former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur
Hadi back to power and crush the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.
The US-based
Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit
conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than
100,000 lives over the past five years.
More than half
of Yemen’s hospitals and clinics have been destroyed or closed during the war
by the Saudi-led coalition, which is supported militarily by the UK, US and
other Western nations.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/10/629310/UK-showers-Saudis-with-apologies-hastily-after-criticizing-Riyadh-regime%E2%80%99s-rights-record-Report
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Taliban,
despite 'peace' talks, led the world by far in 2019 terrorist attacks, study
finds
11 Jul 2020
Members of a
Taliban delegation leaving after peace talks with Afghan senior politicians in
Moscow in May 2019. (REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina)
----
Almost 8,500
terrorist attacks took place in 2019, killing more than 20,300 people – some
5,460 were known perpetrators and 14,840 were victims, according to a report
released this week by the University of Maryland's National Consortium for the
Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) as part of its Global
Terrorism Database (GTD).
But even as
talks intensified between the United States and the Taliban in Doha to ink a
"peace deal" in Afghanistan – which was ultimately signed in February
and involves an immediate drawdown of American troops – the insurgency was by
far the highest executioners of attacks throughout all of last year, sustaining
a "longstanding upward trend."
"The
behavior of organizations engaging in peace talks can involve a variety of
strategies," Erin Miller, the GTD program manager, told Fox News.
"Increasing violence may derail peace talks, but in some cases, it's the
escalation of violence that pushes parties to the negotiating table – when that
violence reaches intolerable levels – and the organization may view that as
leverage in the negotiations."
According to
the data, the number of terrorist attacks in Afghanistan increased 2 percent
between 2018 and 2019, and the number of victims killed in attacks carried out
by the Taliban increased 9 percent between 2018 and 2019, "essentially
sustaining the escalation that has taken place in Afghanistan in recent
years."
The number of
perpetrator deaths in Taliban attacks decreased by 31 percent, and the number
of victim deaths increased 9 percent.
"While
the Taliban engaged in peace talks with the United States, Afghanistan
experienced 21 percent of all terrorist attacks worldwide in 2019, and 41
percent of all people killed in terrorist attacks (including assailants) in
2019 were killed in Afghanistan," the report surmised. "The Taliban
in Afghanistan was responsible for more terrorist attacks in 2019 than any
other group by a wide margin, and those attacks resulted in more deaths than
the next ten deadliest perpetrator groups combined."
While
Afghanistan endured the biggest chunk of assailants at 21 percent, it was
followed by Yemen at 9 percent, Iraq at eight percent, India at 7 percent,
Nigeria at 6 percent, and the Philippines at 5 percent. Pakistan and Somalia
both stood at 4 percent, followed by Syria, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo and Colombia at 3 percent and Nepal and Burkina Faso at 2 percent.
Aside from the
Taliban, several of the perpetrator groups that increased terrorist violence in
2019 included Houthi extremists in Yemen (55 percent increase in attacks; 11
percent increase in total deaths; 54 percent increase in victim deaths), Boko
Haram (43 percent increase in attacks; 47 percent increase in total deaths; 37
percent increase in victim deaths); and the Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist –
Chand (148 percent increase in total attacks; seven people were killed in 2019
including one perpetrator, up from zero in 2018.
And in the
United States in 2019, there were some 64 attacks deemed to be acts of terror –
killing 51 people.
"Terrorism
in the United States continued to be characterized by diverse, sometimes
complex, and often ambiguous ideological influences, typically without clear
ties to formal, named organizations," the report continued.
"Perpetrators of the ten lethal terrorist attacks in the United States in
2019 included white supremacists/nationalists, anti-Semitic extremists linked
to the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, an al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula
operative, and a conspiracy theory extremist."
However, the
report also underscores that the "vast majority of terrorist attacks in
the United States in 2019 were non-lethal – some 84 percent, excluding the
perpetrator deaths," and documented to have been motivated by
"diverse ideological influences, including antifascist, anti-government,
anti-LGBT, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, anti-white, left-wing, pro-choice, and
white supremacist/nationalist extremism."
By comparison,
between 2015 and 2019, 286 people were killed in terrorist attacks in the
United States – excluding assailants. The report also indicated that 95 percent
were killed in attacks involving firearms and that guns were the weapon of
choice in 27 percent of terrorist attacks in America during that time period.
The United
States seemingly mirrors a global downward trend in terrorist attacks, with the
new report highlighting that 2019 was the fifth consecutive year of declining
global terrorism since terrorist violence peaked in 2014 at nearly 17,000
attacks and more than 44,000 total deaths. The total number of terrorist
attacks worldwide decreased by 50 percent between 2014 and 2019, and the total
number of fatalities decreased by 54 percent.
In 66 percent
of all terrorist attacks that took place last year, information on the
perpetrator was identified. Moreover, in 59 attacks, "the individual
perpetrator or perpetrators were identified, but they were not known to be
affiliated with a particular group or organization."
"This
represents a decline in the number of attacks carried out by unaffiliated
individuals, which peaked at 102 in 2017. The lethality of attacks carried out
by unaffiliated individuals also decreased, from more than 200 victims killed
in 2016 to 98 in 2019," the report noted.
But while the
analysis concluded that there had been an overall drop in terrorist attacks
globally, it detected an uptick in terrorism in a number of African countries
and a rise in "racially and ethnically motivated terrorism."
"Several
important trends emerged in African countries in 2019, including in Nigeria,
where terrorist violence overall decreased due to a reduction in attacks by
Fulani extremists, but terrorist violence carried out by Boko Haram
increased," the report asserted. "Boko Haram also increased terrorist
activity in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. In addition, Mali saw a 16 percent
decrease in attacks in 2019, but a 41 percent increase in total deaths due to
multiple (6) mass-casualty terrorist attacks in which more than 30 people were killed,
compared to zero such attacks in previous years."
The GTD is
widely considered the most comprehensive unclassified database of terrorist
attacks in the world, and the 2020 update includes details of more than 200,000
events that took place worldwide over 50 years, from 1970 to 2019, according to
the University of Maryland.
The GTD
research team combines artificial intelligence and analysis to systematically
identify violent events that meet the definition of terrorism and record a wide
range of information about each event. The database, which is sourced by news
media articles published around the world, includes more than 100 variables
documenting the date, location, weapons, tactics, targets, perpetrators, and
casualties and outcomes of each attack.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/taliban-terrorist-attacks-peace-talks-2019?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1350743_
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Tablighi
Jamaat: Court allows 62 Malaysians,11 Saudis to walk free on fine of Rs 7k and
Rs 10K
Jul 10, 2020
NEW DELHI: A
Delhi court Friday allowed 62 Malaysians and 11 foreigners from Saudi Arabia to
walk free on payment of fine of Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 each respectively, after
they accepted mild charges, under the plea bargain process, related to various
violations including visa norms while attending Tablighi Jamaat congregation
here during the Covid-19 lockdown. A lawyer, who appeared for the foreign
nationals, said that Metropolitan Magistrate Siddharth Malik passed the order
after the Malaysians sought lesser punishment under plea bargain process by
accepting mild charges.
They were
allowed to walk free after the Sub-divisional magistrate of Lajpat Nagar, who
was the complainant in the case, Additional commissioner of Police of Lajpat
Nagar and Inspector of Nizamuddin, said they have no objection to their pleas.
Senior
advocate S Hari Haran, said another Metropolitan Magistrate Ashish Gupta passed
the order in the case of foreign nationals from Saudi Arabia who accepted mild
charges in exchange for lesser punishment under the plea bargain process.
Under plea
bargaining, the accused plead guilty to the offence praying for a lesser
punishment.
The Criminal
Procedure of Code allows plea bargaining for cases where the maximum punishment
is imprisonment for seven years, where offences don't affect the socio-economic
conditions of the society and when the offences are not committed against a
woman or a child below 14 years.
The court had
on Thursday allowed 60 Malaysians to walk free on payment of Rs 7,000 fine each
after they accepted a few mild charges under plea bargain process.
They were
granted bail on July 7 on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 10,000 each.
They were
charge sheeted for attending the religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz
event in the national capital by allegedly violating visa conditions, indulging
in missionary activities illegally and violating government guidelines, issued
in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak in the country.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/tablighi-jamaat-court-allows-62-malaysians11-saudis-to-walk-free-on-fine-of-rs-7k-and-rs-10k/articleshow/76897970.cms
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Think tank
expresses alarm at anti-transgender sentiment by Islamic affairs minister
11 Jul 2020
BY JERRY
CHOONG
KUALA LUMPUR,
July 11 — Independent think-tank Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy
today expressed concern at the recent remarks by Religious Affairs Minister
Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri permitting the Federal Territories Islamic
Religious Department (Jawi) to take action against the transgender community.
Its founder
cum chief executive officer AzrulMohdKhalib said this sends a terrible signal
which may cause an escalation of harmful and discriminating actions, both
institutional and vigilantism, against the transgender community.
“It is a fact
which has been thoroughly documented that transgender persons in Malaysia
encounter harassment, discrimination and subject to physical assaults,” he said
in a statement.
Despite the
injustice and demonisation faced by the transgender community, Azrul said
perpetrators of abuse against them often act with impunity and escape
unpunished pointing out that in some extreme cases, transgender persons have
become seriously injured or lost their lives.
“The minister
should consider withdrawing his statement. I am reminded that Zulkifli during
his time as Federal Territories Mufti had in fact promoted a message of
compassion, empathy and understanding towards the transgender community with
the intention of helping and providing assistance.
“In 2017 he
engaged in dialogue with a group of them at a Chow Kit drop-in centre. In 2018,
as Mufti, Zulkifli hosted a delegation of transgender women at his office for
discussions and called for reforms,” he said.
Azrul noted
that the then-Mufti's main message at the time was that people should not
condemn, judge or punish the community, but rather to find a common ground.
“Now, he is
calling for their 'tangkap' or arrest. What happened? We are also concerned
that this message from a minister will also create obstacles and barriers for
transgender people needing health services.
“Fear and
discrimination discourage them from seeking treatment and care. They may have
trouble finding alternative healthcare services if they are turned away.
Everyone is equally entitled to the rights and protections provided for under
Malaysian law and that includes being able to walk about without having to fear
of being prosecuted for who we are, being beaten up or subject to physical
harm,” he said.
Yesterday in a
Facebook post, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department said Jawi would
not merely be conducting arrests but also provide religious education so that
the transgender community can “return to the correct path”.
“We do not
want to just arrest them, but what is most important is tarbiah (educate) them
wisely so that they will come back to the right path.
“Islam is a
religion that seeks to educate. This requires coordinated efforts from all
agencies under the religious affairs department in the prime minister’s
department,” Zulkilfi wrote.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/11/think-tank-expresses-alarm-at-anti-transgender-sentiment-by-islamic-affairs/1883522
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Mass grave
uncovered in former ISIS territory of northern Iraq
July 10-2020
Numerous human
remains were recently uncovered from a suspected mass grave in the northern
Iraqi village of Humeydat, part of the territory formerly controlled by Islamic
State militants.
Local
officials found the grave, which extended over hundreds of meters, filled with
bones, skulls, clothing and shoes. The remains are believed to be those of
Shiite prisoners who were executed in June 2014 after ISIS gained control of
Mosul, though an investigation is needed to confirm.
An estimated
1,500 prisoners, both Shiite and Sunni, from Badoush were taken to the desert
and separated, according to a Human Rights Watch investigation. ISIS allegedly
executed 600 prisoners in this area, most of whom were Shiite.
Experts
performed an initial investigation, but further excavation has been halted due
to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, officials told The Associated Press. The
Iraqi government task force that investigated mass graves prior to the pandemic
had ongoing issues including understaffing and inadequate resources to store
and identify remains, according to a November 2018 report from the United
Nations.
https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2020/07/09/mass-grave-uncovered-in-former-isis-territory-of-northern-iraq/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1350743_
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Troops kill 92
Boko Haram terrorists, rescue 35 captives
10 July 2020
Troops of the
Armed Forces of Nigeria killed 92 Boko Haram terrorists in the past week,
according to Defence Headquarters.
DHQ
spokesperson, Major-General John Enenche, disclosed during a media briefing on
Thursday, July 9, 2020 that troops had at least 17 recorded encounters with the
Islamic sect terrorising the northeast region.
He noted that
troops of 25 Task Force Brigade killed 17 terrorists while on clearance
operations along Damboa-Maiduguri Road, Borno State on Tuesday, July 7.
Even though he
had in a previous statement announced that two soldiers were killed in the
encounter, Premium Times has reported that as many as 37 soldiers were killed,
according to military sources.
Boko Haram's
reign of terror in the region commenced in 2009 and has led to the death of
over 30,000, abduction of tens of thousands, and displacement of over 2.5
million people.
The Islamic
State West African Province (ISWAP), a major Boko Haram faction, has carried
out direct attacks on military troops for the past two years.
Enenche
further reported in his Thursday briefing that 75 other terrorists were killed
in other encounters with troops in the northeast theatre.
Four
terrorists also surrendered to troops while 'some criminal elements and spies'
were arrested.
Enenche said a
total of 35 people who had been kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists were also
rescued by troops.
Troops
destroyed structures and equipment, while also capturing large arms and
ammunition, as well as vehicles and equipment, according to the major-general.
He disclosed
that massive air strikes also destroyed Boko Haram structures used as meeting
venue at Mainyakare Village on the fringes of Sambisa Forest.
Mina along the
GulumbaGana-Kumshe axis in the northern part of Borno was also hit by air
strikes.
The air
strikes were carried out by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole, the
anti-Boko Haram theatre launched in 2015.
https://www.pulse.ng/news/local/troops-kill-92-boko-haram-terrorists-rescue-35-captives/5cy1s5n?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1350743_
--------
Pakistan
E-7 seminary
dispute temporarily defused after former Lal Masjid cleric leaves
Jul 10 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Former Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz has vacated the E-7 seminary Jamia
Fareedia, temporarily defusing the standoff that had emerged there.
Capital
administration and police officials told Dawn on condition of anonymity that Mr
Aziz, his family and his students have left the E-7 seminary and moved to Jamia
Hafsa in G-7.
Mr Aziz
reportedly left Jamia Fareedia after he was assured by local ulema and
government officials that the matter that brought him there would be resolved.
The police
presence around the seminary has also been minimised, the officials said, as
the situation has been defused until exams - which are scheduled to begin in
seminaries on July 11 - are completed.
The officials
said that Mr Aziz and Jamia Fareedia administrator Maulana Abdul Ghaffar have
both claimed ownership of the seminary. Mr Ghaffar used to be a close aide to
Mr Aziz, but they have since developed differences.
Mr Aziz
appointed Mr Ghaffar administrator of Jamia Fareedia in the 2000s, they said,
but he lost control of the seminary to Mr Ghaffar.
Mr Aziz, his
family and 200 Jamia Hafsa students moved to Jamia Fareedia a few days ago.
They told Mr Ghaffar and his companions to vacate the premises, leading to a
standoff between both parties when they both refused to leave.
Administration
and police officials also became involved, but since the dispute was a private
one their focus was on maintaining law and order in the area.
An equipped
police contingent was stationed around the seminary. Ulema approached the two
clerics at the administration’s request and asked them to settle the matter
through talks.
Government
officials accompanied the ulema and assured Mr Aziz that the rightful owner of
the land and seminary would get possession of them, the officials said, adding
that the government does not own the land or the seminary, and was simply
trying to avoid a confrontation between both parties.
The ulema were
made guarantors and asked for a month to resolve the issue, while Mr Aziz
vacated the seminary. The police are still deployed around the seminary as a
precaution, but the number of personnel has been decreased, they said. The
officials said Mr Aziz’ father had acquired the land and constructed the
seminary on it in the late 1970s. Mr Aziz’ nephew Haroon Rasheed confirmed that
Mr Aziz has left the premises and moved to his home in Jamia Hafsa. He said
capital administration officials and the ulema sought a month to resolve the
dispute.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1568007/e-7-seminary-dispute-temporarily-defused-after-former-lal-masjid-cleric-leaves
--------
Minorities enjoy
equal rights in Pakistan: Tahir Ashrafi
Asim Yasin
July 11, 2020
ISLAMABAD: The
Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Ashrafi said on
Friday that Constitution of Pakistan has categorically defined rights for
Muslims and non-Muslim population and all the minorities residing in Pakistan
own equal rights like majority population.
“Non-Muslim
population of Pakistan since freedom of the country has been playing very
positive and effective role for stability of Pakistan,” he said while talking
to media persons here. Tahir Ashrafi said the issue of Islamabad temple is in
the court and before Islamic Ideology Council, adding that DarulAfta Pakistan
and Pakistan Ulema Council will present its suggestions to the Council.
“Non-Muslim population in Pakistan is being protected and enjoy all rights as
categorically defined in the Constitution of Pakistan,” he said.
Tahir Ashrafi
said dozens of worship places have been established in the country for
minorities, adding that in recent times, government has constructed Kartarpur
Corridor for Sikh pilgrims and many other worship places have also been
constructed all over the country.
He also
announced that PUC with coordinated support of World Peace Council is going to
host a convention in Islamabad, which will be attended by representatives of
different religious schools of thought. “The convention will also issue a joint
declaration following this convention on overall situation of the country,” he
said. The PUC chairman also underlined that any organisation, group or
individual will not be allowed in Pakistan to seize rights of minorities living
in the country.
Responding to
a query, Tahir Ashrafi stated that some conspiring elements in the past accused
their opponents of blasphemy for their vested interests, adding that during
last two years as many as 26 blasphemy cases were settled with peaceful talks.
He said that
strict action should be taken against elements who coined blasphemy allegations
against their opponents in pursuit of vested interests. He said that Muthahida
Ulema Board has resolved 105 such cases in last one year. Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi
said the PUC and Muthahida Ulema Board own explicit stance that blasphemy
allegations against any innocent person will not be ratified.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/685065-minorities-enjoy-equal-rights-in-pakistan-tahir-ashrafi
--------
Justice Isa’s
wife makes public her reply to FBR
Nasir Iqbal
Jul 11 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Cerina Isa, the wife of Justice Qazi Faez Isa, on Friday released the statement
she had submitted along with required documents to the Federal Board of Revenue
(FBR) a day ago, in compliance with the latter’s notice in an attempt to remove
the propaganda against the judge’s family.
She said she
continued to face harassment, humiliation and propaganda and expressed the hope
that the FBR officials would not allow themselves to be used or bullied as she
asked them to apply the same law to Prime Minister Imran Khan, Law Minister
Farogh Nasim, former attorney general Anwar Mansoor and Assets Recovery Unit
chairman Shahzad Akbar and their families.
“Every day we
are told that they [the government] were striving for the ‘MadinakiRiyasat’,
therefore I am sure these gentlemen will be only too happy to inform an
ordinary taxpaying woman about how much tax they pay and the status of their
wives and children’s properties and if not then I may have to ask them
questions,” she said.
The copies of
her statement were released at the National Press Club (NPC), Islamabad,
through her counsel along with annexures regarding the three offshore
properties.
She said she
had to present the X-ray films before the media to negate the offensive
propaganda that she was pretending that she was not well by using a walking
stick at the FBR office.
In reply to
Commissioner (IR) AEOI Zulfikar Ahmad, Mrs Isa wondered should FBR not ask
Prime Minister Imran Khan why he paid less tax than her and yet somehow managed
to buy very expensive properties and lives in a 300-kanal massive mansion.
Should the FBR
not ask the PM, ARU chairman, law minister and ex-AG how they “illegally
obtained her past income tax records and then disclosed the same”, she
questioned.
“I did not
want to drag anyone into this but I have had enough of being spied on, abused
and harassed for the last year and made to feel like a common criminal,” she
stated. “Please do not blame me if all that I ask FBR to provide me copies of
the income tax records of the prime minister, Abdul WaheedDogar (the original
complainant), Mirza Shahzad Akbar, FaroghNaseem, Anwar Mansoor, Dr Mohammad
Ashfaq Ahmed, and whether they show the properties of their wives and children
in their income tax papers.
“Please
provide copies of their returns from when they started paying income tax till
now, as they had obtained and disclosed my records, she said adding they should
not have objections if FBR treats them similarly.
“I’m sure as
dedicated professional you will apply the law with an even hand and not allow
yourself to be used or bullied,” she observed.
Mrs Isa said
she paid tax of Rs576,540 in 2018 from the taxable income of Rs4 million while
for the year 2019 she paid Rs809,970 on the income of Rs5.3 million. It was
said she was not receiving FBR notices on June 25, she said, adding that the
very day she had lost her father. This false pretext of not receiving the
notices was then used to paste notices on the gate of her residence to
humiliate her in front of her household staff and everyone in the
neighbourhood, she alleged.
She disclosed
that when she was in Quetta with her husband, they had not only received
threats but also terrorists carried out an attack. “I feared that the next
terrorist attack may be successful and I wanted to secure my children’s
future,” the statement said, adding she helped them buy two properties in a relatively
cheap area on the outskirts of London.
“My son worked
in an estate agency and also did some private contractual work,” the statement
said, adding her son-in-law was working for the UK Ministry of Justice and her
daughter-in-law worked as a financial analyst in London.
“If I wanted
to conceal our ownership of properties we could have easily purchased them
using a sham offshore company to hide the properties ‘real owners’. If you
don’t believe me, please ask Prime Minister Khan and his well experienced
coterie as to how they concealed their own ownership properties abroad,” she
alleged.
“FBR also
asked for the money trail for the properties,” she said, adding she didn’t know
what the FBR meant by money trail. “Please explain and identify the provision in
the Income Tax Ordinance (ITO) 2001 where money trail is mentioned so that she
can understand and answer the question.”
She also
enclosed along with her statement to FBR return of income, wealth statement and
foreign income and assets statement for the year 2018, 2019, certificate issued
by UBL, Standard Chartered Bank’s certificate in respect of the foreign
currency account of December 2019 showing deposits for the year 2003 to 2013
amounting to pounds 671,490 and remittances abroad during the years 2003 to
2013 amounting to pounds 698,002.
Moreover, she
also annexed investment position certificate of the National Saving Centre
(NSC), different tax deduction certificates issued by NSC, the property
registers maintained by the Land Registry showing the date and price of all the
three properties, pictures of the envelopes attached to the gate and returning
the open original envelopes with notices to her daughter and son.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1568226/justice-isas-wife-makes-public-her-reply-to-fbr
--------
Pakistan
ensuring completion of FATF action plan: Shaikh
Jul 11 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on
Friday said Pakistan as a responsible member of the international community
continued to ensure the earliest completion of the Financial Action Task Force
(FATF) Action Plan through increasing the effectiveness of its AML/CFT regime.
In a keynote
speech through Zoom to a high-level panel on International Financial
Accountability, Transparency and Integrity (FACTI), Dr Shaikh said Pakistan
had already addressed 14 out of 27 FATF Action Plan items while substantial
progress had been made in addressing the remaining 13 ones, according to a
press release issued here by the finance ministry.
The FACTI
panel discussed, among others, the overall efforts undertaken by member states
to implement comprehensive international frameworks related to financial
accountability, transparency and integrity critical to financing the
Sustainable Development Goals.
Dr Shaikh told
the panel that Pakistan had made considerable progress in addressing the
recommended actions of Mutual Evaluation Report, which included 15 legal
amendments to meet technical compliance, update of National Risk Assessment on
ML/CT, implementation of Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financial
Terrorism (AML/CFT) measures on DNFBPs, CDNS and Pakistan Post, broadening the
sanction regime, etc.
Similarly, he
said, Pakistan had taken various measures in recent years to contain illicit
financial flows through strengthening of the AML/CFT regulations on Customer
Due Diligence and Know Your Customer and other AML/CFT instructions to
financial institutions have been brought in line with FATF standards.
To further
align with the international standards, he said, the AML Act had been amended
to include tax offences as predicate offences. A range of predicate offences
had been added to the schedule of AML Act to include serious offences,
including corruption, narcotics, terrorism and human trafficking, he added.
Dr Shaikh said
violations of Section 4(1) (unauthorised FX business) and Section 5 (illegal
transfers) of Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA), 1947, had been
incorporated into the schedule of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Act, 2010 in
terms of which those offences might also be punishable. He said amendments to
the Protection of Economic Reforms Act (PERA) 1992 had been incorporated to
restrict feeding of foreign currency accounts by non-tax filer Pakistani
residents.
The adviser
said the government had launched the Pakistan Remittances Initiative (PRI) to
facilitate inflow of home remittance into the country through formal channels.
Resultantly, Pakistan had registered growth in remittances during the last
decade, rising from $6.4 billion in FY08 to $23bn in FY20.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1568230/pakistan-ensuring-completion-of-fatf-action-plan-shaikh
--------
ATC to indict
Uzair Baloch in eight more criminal cases
Jul 11, 2020
KARACHI: An
anti-terrorism court on Friday resumed hearing eight criminal cases against
Uzair Baloch.
The ATC judge
provided copies of charge-sheets filed in these cases to the Lyari gangster for
his likely indictment at the next hearing. The cases pertaining to the attack,
murder and kidnapping of police officials were registered at Chakiwara and
Kalakot police stations.
He was
presented in court at Central Jail, Karachi amid tight security with his head
covered and both hands cuffed. Rangers personnel were deployed in and outside
the court to prevent any untoward incident.
Earlier this
week, the anti-terrorism court had indicted Baloch in a case related to the
kidnapping and murder of a trader. The judge framed charges against the accused
who denied having any role in the abduction and murder of Abdul Samad and opted
to contest the charges.
The court
issued notices to the investigation officer and witnesses to turn up at next
hearing for deposition.
According to
jail authorities, 54 criminal cases, including the Arshad Papu murder case, are
pending against Baloch.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/07/10/atc-to-indict-uzair-baloch-in-eight-more-criminal-cases/
--------
Mideast
Turkey’s
Erdogan may be seriously pursuing his nuclear ambitions: Expert
10 July 2020
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be seriously pursuing nuclear weapons,
according to non-proliferation expert John Spacapan.
Spacapan who
is a fellow at the Non-proliferation Policy Education Center in Washington DC,
wrote in an article published on the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists on Tuesday
that despite Turkey being party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons (NPT), there are three warning signs suggesting Ankara is
seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
First: Erdogan
has explicitly said it was unacceptable that Turkey couldn’t have its own
nuclear weapons. In September 2019, he told his party members: “Some countries
have missiles with nuclear warheads, not one or two. But (they tell us) we
can’t have them. This, I cannot accept.”
Second:
“Erdogan is often bombastic, but on nuclear energy he’s taking action. Along
Turkey’s Mediterranean coastline, the Russians are building four large civilian
nuclear power reactors at the Akkuyu Nuclear Facility,” Spacapan said.
Ankara said
that the purpose of the plant was to reduce Turkey’s dependence on gas imports
to meet electricity demand, but Spacapan said that didn’t ring true for Turkey.
“The Akkuyu
facility doesn’t make Turkey less dependent on foreign powers. Russia will own
and operate the facility, and it is well-established that Moscow uses all of
its energy assets—not just fossil fuels—for coercion,” he said, adding that the
nuclear facility is a “bad investment” because Russia will only pay for the
first reactor in the facility and the Turkish government will have to secure
the financing for the other three reactors.
Spacapan also
added that from market point-of-view, “natural gas and renewables beat
nuclear,” and brought the natural gas drilling deal Turkey struck with Libya’s
Government of National Accord (GNA) last year.
“What’s
worrisome is Turkey could exploit nuclear power as a cover to procure
bomb-related technology and hardware. The technology transfer is already
occurring. Since the Akkuyu project began, Turkish engineering students have
become the second largest national group studying nuclear sciences in Russia,
where hundreds of Iranian and North Korean scientists came before them,” he
said.
Third: Turkey
is collaborating militarily with Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country that is
nowhere near Turkey’s borders. Spacapan notes that while Turkish-Pakistani ties
were “warm but superficial,” Erdogan “tightened the ties considerably” since
2018 and is supplying Pakistan’s military with “sophisticated weapons.”
“Erdogan’s
current clout in Islamabad exceeds that of North Korea, Iran, and Libya, all of
which received nuclear bomb help from Pakistan,” he said.
The
non-proliferation expert said: “Since nuclear power provides much of the
technology for bomb making, and in Turkey’s case makes little economic sense,
the United States should be trying to steer Turkey away from nuclear energy.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/10/Turkey-s-Erdogan-may-be-seriously-pursuing-his-nuclear-ambitions-Expert.html
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Iran says not
surprised by Western concerns about strategic ties with China
Friday, 10
July 2020
Iran says it
comes as no surprise to see Western countries expressing concern about Tehran’s
strategic cooperation with Beijing, as they are terrified that Iran would be
linked to China’s global potentialities.
Gholam-Reza
Ansari, the Iranian deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, says some of
the criticisms recently raised about a 25-year strategic cooperation deal between
Tehran and Beijing are “ridiculous”.
Speaking in a
televised interview on Thursday night, Ansari referred to the US State
Department spokesperson’s comments about the deal, and said Washington
expresses sympathy with the Iranian nation while it has imposed the harshest
sanctions ever against the Islamic Republic even at the time of the coronavirus
outbreak.
“Since Iran’s
relations with China are serious, and that forms the basis of economic and
strategic cooperation between the two states in the 25-year document, it is
quite normal for Western countries to be worried about such relations,” he
noted.
Ansari said
China is currently the only country in the world which is buying Iran’s oil
officially.
“The policy of
the US and Britain—Anglo-Saxons in general—is to focus on pressuring Iran in a
bid to keep it away from China and Russia,” he added.
‘Western
countries terrified by Iran-China ties’
AlaeddinBoroujerdi,
the former chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign
Policy Commission, says the West is terrified that Iran’s growing capacities
are connected to the huge global potentialities of China.
“This is why
they have increased their efforts to undermine Iran-China relations following
the announcement of talks between the two countries on a long-term deal,” he
added.
The major
agreement between Iran and China was announced in a joint statement during a
visit to Tehran by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2016.
The
cooperation roadmap consists of 20 articles, covering Tehran-Beijing ties in
“Political,” “Executive Cooperation,” “Human and Cultural,” “Judiciary,
Security and Defense,” and “Regional and International” domains, according to
the statement released back then.
In a post on
his Twitter account on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi
rejected the “lies” and rumors recently spread about the Sino-Iranian
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Mousavi
described the agreement as a “transparent roadmap” and “principled” guideline
for the future of relations between the two key states.
He said China
is expected to emerge as the world’s leading economic power in the near future,
while Iran will turn into the great power in the West Asia region.
The two sides
will thus be able to “ensure common interests and resist the pressure of
bullies through their complementary relations and independent from monarchical
and hegemonic Western powers,” he said.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/10/629308/Iran-china-cooperation-deal-boroujerdi-Ansari
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Iran to
Retaliate Once Foreign Hand Proven in Natanz Incident
Jul 10, 2020
“It is still
too early to make any judgment on the main cause of the blast [in Natanz], and
relevant security bodies are probing into every detail of the incident,”
Mousavi said on Friday.
If Iran concludes
that foreign elements were involved, it will be announced, and there will be
repercussions, he added.
Mousavi
pointed to the media hype over Israel’s role in the blast, and said such
reports are aimed at portraying the “hollow” Israeli regime as powerful.
Israelis claim
responsibility for any incident in every corner of the world, he said,
downplaying the claims that Tel Aviv is involved in the Natanz explosion.
Last week,
Spokesman of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) KeyvanKhosravi said
that the cause of the incident at Natanz nuclear facility has been found, but
will not be declared now for security reasons.
Experts from
different organizations attended the facility since the early hours of the
incident and determined the main cause of the incident, but it will be
announced later, Khosravi said, and added that there were no nuclear materials
in the place, and the issue of leakage of radioactive material has been
rejected.
His remarks
came after an incident at Natanz nuclear facility on June 2. Spokesman of the
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi said on the same
day that the incident which occurred at the country's Natanz nuclear facility
caused no major damage and the site is operating as usual.
Kamalvandi said
that an incident occurred in one of the under-construction sheds in Natanz
nuclear facility.
One of the
under-construction sheds in the open area of Natanz nuclear facility was
damaged this morning and investigation into the case is underway, he added.
This incident
did not have any casualties and has not inflicted any damage on the current
activities of the facility either, Kamalvandi stated, noting that since this
nuclear facility has been inactive, there is no worry about the possibility of
contamination.
Presently, the
Organization’s expert teams are at the scene of incident and are investigating
the causes behind the incident, Kamlvandi added.
A picture
released by the AEOI from the shed shows minor damage.
The Natanz
Fuel Enrichment Plant, covering 100,000 square meters and built eight meters
underground, is one of several Iranian facilities monitored by the UN nuclear
watchdog.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990420000385
--------
Rouhani Calls
for Re-enforcement of Virus-Related Restrictions
Jul 10, 2020
Rouhani urged
the governors-general of provinces to reinstate lockdown where they consider it
necessary.
Fortunately,
with accurate and practical implementation of the plans, coordination among all
institutes, as well as the ceaseless efforts of the medical staff, the first
wave of coronavirus was controlled and we reached relative calm in May and
June, he added.
President
Rouhani, meantime, lauded the nation’s achievements in fighting the disease in
recent months, as it led to the World Health Organization's admiration, as most
countries asked for Iran's experiences in fighting the virus.
The
Social-Security Committee of the National Anti-Coronavirus Campaign
Headquarters should carefully prevent holding of various gatherings, as the main
cause of spread of the disease, he stressed.
The Iranian
health ministry announced on Thursday that 2,079 new coronavirus cases have
been identified in the country during the past 24 hours, adding that 221
patients have passed away since yesterday.
“2,079 new
patients infected with COVID-19 have been identified in the country during the
past 24 hours and 995 patients have been hospitalized,” Iranian Health Ministry
Spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Thursday, adding, “The total number of the
COVID-19 patients reached 250,458.”
“Unfortunately,
221 patients lost their lives in the past 24 hours, increasing the number of
the dead to 12,305,” she added.
Sadat Lari
expressed pleasure that 212,176 patients have recovered or been discharged from
hospitals.
Meanwhile, the
spokeswoman expressed concern that 3,324 coronavirus patients are in critical
conditions.
Sadat Lari
added that 1,897,803 diagnostic tests have been conducted across the country.
She warned
that Khuzestan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Ilam, East
Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan and KhorsanRazavi provinces are in red conditions,
while Golestan, Alborz, Kerman, Yazd, Hamedan, Ardabil, Isfahan, Tehran,
Mazandaran and Sistan and Balouchestan provinces are in a status of alert.
Iranian President
Hassan Rouhani said last month that over 1,000 medical centers in the country
have received necessary equipment to conduct tests on people suspected of
infection to coronavirus, and added that Iran ranks first in the Muslim world
in scientific achievements.
"Based on
a report [by the health ministry], 1,200 centers across the country are ready
to take samples and tests from people and 17,500 nursing and health homes are
also prepared to provide hygiene and treatment services to people,"
Rouhani said, addressing a meeting of the national coronavirus campaign
headquarters in Tehran.
Also, earlier
this month, he said that the country will increase the number of its hospital
beds to 8,000 by the end of the current Iranian year (March 19).
"We will
add 8,000 hospital beds by the yearend," Rouhani said.
He added that
1,500 hospital beds for special cases have also been added to the capacity of
the country's medical system since the outbreak of coronavirus in the country,
noting that 2 drug production lines are also added every month to the country's
pharmaceutical capacity.
The
coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting approximately all countries and territories
around the world. The virus was first reported in the central Chinese city of
Wuhan late last year. It has so far killed more than 557,000 people and
infected over 12.3 million others globally.
The Iranian
foreign ministry declared that despite Washington’s claims of cooperation to
transfer drugs to Iran via the new Swiss-launched payment mechanism, the US is
troubling the process amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Although US
claims that medicines and medical equipment are not under sanctions, they have
practically blocked the transfer of Iran’s financial resources in other
countries into the Swiss Humanitarian Trade Arrangement (SHTA), Iranian Foreign
Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said.
As the death
toll from the virus surges, Iran intensifies its preventive safety measures.
Closures of schools and most universities have been extended until further
notice.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990420000112
--------
Macron asks
Israeli PM Netanyahu to drop West Bank annexation plans
10 July 2020
Emmanuel
Macron asked Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from
annexing Palestinian territory in the West Bank and elsewhere during a
telephone call between the two leaders, the French president’s office said on
Friday.
Macron
“emphasized that such a move would contravene international law and jeopardise
the possibility of a two-state solution as the basis of a fair and lasting
peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” his office said in a statement after
the call on Thursday.
It was the
latest move by European leaders pressing Netanyahu to drop plans to annex
Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the strategic Jordan Valley.
The
controversial move was endorsed in a Middle East plan unveiled by US President
Donald Trump in January.
Israel’s
government had set July 1 as the date when it could begin taking over the
Palestinian areas, where the population of Israeli settlers has grown since the
1967 Six-Day War.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
The foreign
ministries of France and Germany, along with those of Egypt and Jordan -- the
only Arab states to have peace deals with Israel -- warned this week that any
annexation could have “consequences” for relations.
But Macron
told Netanyahu that France remained committed to Israel’s security and
“expressed his attachment to the friendship and confidence that links France
and Israel”, his office said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/10/Macron-asks-Israeli-PM-Netanyahu-to-drop-West-Bank-annexation-plans-.html
--------
Hundreds
gather in West Bank for funeral of Palestinian shot by Israeli soldiers
10 July 2020
Hundreds of
people gathered in the occupied West Bank on Friday for the funeral of a
Palestinian man shot by Israeli soldiers a day earlier.
Israel’s army
said troops opened fire after the Palestinian and another man started throwing
fire bombs at a guard post near the town of Nablus.
Palestinian
officials dismissed the report and said the man had been walking with friends
when he was shot dead.
People at the
funeral in the village of Salfit carried Palestinian flags and chanted “Allahu
Akbar,” or God is greatest.
Tensions have
been high in the West Bank in recent weeks as Israel weighs a plan to annex
part of the territory that Palestinians seek for a future state.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/10/Hundreds-gather-in-West-Bank-for-funeral-of-Palestinian-shot-by-Israeli-soldiers.html
--------
Iran executes
man for drinking alcohol: Rights group
10 July 2020
A man in
northeast Iran was executed on Wednesday for consuming alcohol, a rights group
reported on Thursday.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The man,
reportedly 55, married, and father of two, was executed in the city of Mashhad
after getting caught drinking alcohol for the sixth time, Oslo-based rights
group Iran Human Rights (IHR) said citing the executed man’s lawyer.
“With this
execution, the Islamic Republic’s judicial system has once again proven that
its views are no different from those of ISIS,” IHR director Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam
said.
In a statement
released later, the Iranian judiciary confirmed the man’s execution.
There is no
official data on the number of executions due to alcohol consumption in Iran.
“Due to the
lack of transparency in the Islamic Republic’s judiciary, most executions in
Iran are not declared officially by the authorities,” according to IHR.
Alcoholic
drinks have been banned in Iran since the establishment of the Islamic Republic
in 1979.
Despite the
ban, many Iranians consume alcohol in private.
Individuals
convicted of drinking or being in possession of alcoholic drinks in Iran are
often sentenced to flogging. Those convicted more than twice, risk the death
penalty.
In February, a
tourist was lashed 80 times in eastern Iran for drinking alcohol, according to
state media.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/10/Iran-executes-man-for-drinking-alcohol-Rights-group.html
--------
Europe
Bosnia Muslims
mourn their dead 25 years after Srebrenica massacre
11 Jul 2020
SREBRENICA,
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosnian Muslims on Saturday mark 25 years since the
Srebrenica massacre, the worst atrocity on European soil since World War II,
with the memorial ceremony sharply reduced as a result of the coronavirus
pandemic.
Organisers
said the number of people attending the anniversary - usually in the tens of
thousands - is likely to be lower than usual because of lockdown measures aimed
at stemming the spread of COVID-19.
Proceedings
are scheduled to start in the morning.
Then, at 1100
GMT, the remains of nine victims identified over the past year will be laid to
rest at the memorial cemetery in Potocari, a village just outside Srebrenica
that served as the base for the UN protection force, FORPRONU, during the
conflict.
On Jul 11,
1995, after capturing the ill-fated town, Serb forces killed more than 8,000
Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in a few days.
The episode -
labelled as genocide by two international courts - came at the end of a
1992-1995 war between Bosnia's Croats, Muslims and Serbs that claimed some
100,000 lives.
So far, the
remains of nearly 6,900 victims have been found and identified from more than
80 mass graves.
Bosnian Serb
wartime military chief general Ratko Mladic, still revered as a hero by many
Serbs, was sentenced to life in prison by a UN court in 2017 over war crimes
including the Srebrenica genocide. He is awaiting the decision on his appeal.
Radovan
Karadzic, another Bosnian Serb wartime political leader, was also sentenced to
life in prison in The Hague.
WAR AGAINST
DENIAL
The Srebrenica
massacre is the only episode of the Bosnian conflict to be described as
genocide by the international community.
And while for
Bosnian Muslims recognising the scale of the atrocity is a necessity for
lasting peace, for most Serbs - leaders and laypeople in both Bosnia and Serbia
- the use of the word genocide remains unacceptable.
In the run-up
to the anniversary, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic described Srebrenica as
"something that we should not and cannot be proud of", but he has never
publicly uttered the word "genocide".
Several
thousand Serbs and Muslims live side by side in impoverished Srebrenica, a
lifeless town in eastern Bosnia with just a few shops in its centre.
On Friday, the
town's Serbian mayor MladenGrujicic - who was elected in 2016 after a campaign
based on genocide denial - said that "there is new evidence every day that
denies the current presentation of everything that has happened".
Bosnian Serb
political leader Milorad Dodik has also described the massacre as a "myth".
But on Friday,
the Muslim member of Bosnia's joint presidency, SefikDzaferovic, said: "We
will tirelessly insist on the truth, on justice and on the need to try all
those who have committed this crime".
"We will
fight against those who deny the genocide and glorify its perpetrators,"
he said at the memorial centre where he attended a collective prayer.
In order to
avoid large crowds on Saturday, organisers have invited people to visit the
memorial centre over the whole month of July.
A number of
different exhibitions are on display, including paintings by Bosnian artist
SafetZec.
Another
installation, entitled "Why Aren't You Here?" by US-Bosnian artist
Aida Sehovic, comprises more than 8,000 cups of coffee spread out on the
cemetery's lawn.
"We still
haven't answered the question why they are no longer here," she told AFP.
"How
could this have happened in the heart of Europe, that people were killed in
such a terrible way in a UN protected area? Not to mention the fact that the
genocide is still being denied."
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/srebrenica-massacre-anniversary-bosnia-muslims-12923562
--------
French
jihadist to be retried as prosecutors seek life term
09/07/2020
A French
jihadist given a 30-year jail term last week for crimes committed in Syria,
will be retried after prosecutors appealed Thursday seeking life imprisonment.
On Friday, a
court jailed Vilus, 30, for crimes committed between 2013 and 2015 when he was
a senior figure in the Islamic State extremist group, including overseeing the
execution of two prisoners.
Vilus was
found guilty of all the charges against him, including membership of a terror
organisation, heading a group of IS fighters, and "aggravated
murder".
The judges
handed down a 30-year prison term, of which Vilus would have to serve at least
two-thirds, or 20 years, before parole can be considered.
France's
National Anti-Terror Prosecutor's office had sought a life sentence, with a
minimum 22 years to be served, and said Thursday it had filed an appeal against
the ruling.
The appeal
automatically gives rise to a retrial in front of a court that will be
specially constituted as this concerns a terror case.
At the
original trial, public prosecutor Guillaume Michelin sought the highest
sentence arguing Vilus "hasn't changed one bit" since his time with
the Islamic State.
"All the
steps in the accused's journey are interlocked with the construction of the
caliphate," said the prosecutor, referring to the Islamist-ruled area that
IS had carved out in Syria and Iraq.
"It is
your responsibility to put a definite end to the bloodshed," he told the
court at the time.
But the
presiding judge said he wanted to leave the convicted man with "a glimmer
of hope" and an opportunity to "evolve".
The trial
court found that Vilus had supervised executions as a member of the religious
police in the north-eastern Syrian town Ash Shaddadi, close to the Iraqi
border.
In a 2015
video released by the Islamic State's media department, a man alleged to be
Vilus is two metres away as two kneeling and blindfolded prisoners -- one
belonging to the Free Syrian Army rebel fighters and the other a member of
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's army -- are executed with a bullet to the
head.
His arrest and
trial were seen as a major coup for the French security services, as Vilus is
believed to have known many French jihadists in Syria.
Vilus had
admitted to being in contact with Abdelhamid Abaaoud -- the man French secret
services believe is the mastermind of the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris.
https://www.france24.com/en/20200709-french-jihadist-to-be-retried-as-prosecutors-seek-life-term?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1350743_
--------
Russia rejects
‘unscrupulous speculation’ alleging offer of bounties to Taliban
10 July 2020
Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has dismissed “unscrupulous speculation” about
alleged Russian ties with the Taliban militants in Afghanistan.
Russia’s top
diplomat blamed media reports about the issue on internal political fights in
the United States, the Interfax news agency reported Friday.
Last month,
The New York Times said in a controversial report that a top-secret unit within
the Russian military intelligence, the GRU, allegedly offered monetary rewards
to Taliban-linked militants who would kill US troopers in Afghanistan last
year. Other outlets have since carried reports about the allegation.
Late last
month, the Pentagon said it could not validate the reports.
Moscow has
denied the allegation. So has the Taliban group.
Meanwhile, the
RIA news agency quoted Lavrov as saying that he was not optimistic that the New
START nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States would be
extended.
He
acknowledged, however, that the risks of nuclear confrontation had seriously
increased.
“I agree that
nuclear risks have recently increased substantially, that the security
situation, international strategic stability are openly deteriorating. The
reasons are also obvious to everyone: the US wants to regain global dominance
and achieve victory in what they call the rivalry of the great powers,” Lavrov
said on Friday.
Washington and
Moscow have been negotiating to extend the New START, which will expire in
2021.
Under the
treaty, which was signed in 2010, the two sides agreed to halve the number of
their strategic nuclear missiles and restrict the number of deployed strategic
nuclear warheads to 1,550.
The New START
can be extended for another five years with mutual agreement.
The US
President Donald Trump administration had earlier unilaterally withdrawn from
another treaty with Russia, the so-called Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces
(INF) Treaty.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/10/629319/Russia-Taliban-bounty-Afghanistan
--------
Turkey, UK
'very close' to free trade deal
Ahmet GurhanKartal
10.07.2020
LONDON
Turkey and the
UK are “very close” to signing a free trade agreement for the post-Brexit era,
according to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
An article by
the Financial Times quoted Cavusoglu as saying negotiations between the two
countries on a trade deal covering manufactured goods, agriculture, and
services are “going very well and we are close to finalizing it.”
Cavusoglu
visited London on Wednesday to hold talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
“If you look
at the volume of our bilateral trade, 95% of it is industrial products, and we
agreed on that . . . and 5% is agriculture and services,” Cavusoglu said.
The daily
underlined that the UK is Turkey’s second-biggest trading partner after Germany
with a trade volume of £18.8 billion ($23.7 billion) and more than 2,500 UK
companies are operating in Turkey, including BP, Shell, Vodafone, Unilever, BAE
Systems, HSBC, Aviva, and Diageo.
Turkey and the
UK have been holding trade talks which gained speed after Britain’s exit from
the EU on Dec. 31, 2019, and the UK is getting ready to sign trade deals with a
few third countries straight after the exit transition period, which is
unlikely to be extended beyond the end of this year.
The article
underlined that Turkey is a member of the EU customs union, meaning a deal with
the UK “could be implemented only once Britain has secured an [exit] agreement
with the European bloc.”
The trade deal
between the UK and has yet to be finalized, as the latest round of talks went
ahead this week in London.
$20B bilateral
trade target
The article
said: “If the two sides are unable to secure a deal by the end of the year,
Ankara could face a dilemma over whether to push ahead with the agreement with
Britain and risk breaching EU rules. Mr Cavusoglu acknowledged that would be a
‘bizarre situation’, while adding that the UK was a ‘strategic ally’.”
“We agreed
already with the UK that in the post-Brexit era we will increase our bilateral
trade; in volume we set a $20 billion [bilateral trade] target,” Cavusoglu
said.
The daily also
said British officials from the UK’s Department for International Trade said
talks are “progressing well” and that International Trade Secretary Liz Truss
and Trade Minister Ranil Jayawardena will meet their Turkish counterparts next
week for talks.
Cavusoglu said
Ankara is hoping to negotiate a separate immigration deal that would grant
Turks special status when the UK implements new migration rules, according to
the report.
“We have been
negotiating two separate agreements, one is the FTA [free trade agreement], one
is similar to the Ankara Agreement,” said Cavusoglu, referring to a visa scheme
pact for Turkish businesspeople predating Britain joining the EU.
On Wednesday,
Cavusoglu said during the meeting with Raab and Johnson that they spoke on
relations in the post-pandemic era, a bilateral post-Brexit free trade
agreement, cooperation in tourism, health tourism, and the defense industry, as
well as other international and regional issues, including Libya, Syria, and
NATO.
He stressed in
a briefing with Turkish reporters that Turkey and the UK would cooperate in
many fields after Brexit, adding that “even if the UK departs from the EU, it
will continue to be one of the most important parts of the European continent.”
Cavusoglu said
that along with the bilateral trade pact, they also took up the future of the
Ankara Agreement to prevent Turkish citizens from getting caught in any
possible Brexit fallout.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/economy/turkey-uk-very-close-to-free-trade-deal/1905885
--------
South Asia
Kuwait may
charge Bangladesh envoy in human trafficking case
July 10, 2020
Details of
human trafficking in Kuwait which saw the arrest of an MP from Bangladesh
suggests that the scandal is not simply a case of one single rouge lawmaker. It
now seems that Dhaka’s very own ambassador to the Gulf state is embroiled in
criminal activity normally associated with the criminal underworld.
Bangladesh’s
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen was forced to issue a warning against the
country’s Ambassador to Kuwait, SM Abul Kalam, for his alleged involvement in
human trafficking, which saw the arrest of Mohammad Shahid Islam in June for a
host of offences.
Momen warned
earlier this week that Bangladesh would not spare its ambassador if Kuwait were
to bring charges against him over alleged human trafficking. “The government
maintains zero tolerance against money laundering and human trafficking.”
Punishment is a must, no matter which party they belong to, Momen is reported
saying.
Kalam’s
appointment to Kuwait is said to be coming to an end this month which will mean
that the ambassador will return to Bangladesh, Momen said. “We have finalised
the next Ambassador for Kuwait.”
On 6 June,
Kuwait’s Criminal Investigation Department arrested Bangladesh lawmaker
Mohammad Shahid Islam Papul. Kuwaiti prosecutors charged him with human
trafficking, money laundering, and exploiting his compatriot workers, Gulf News
reported at the time. His arrest came after testimonies of five Bangladeshis,
who confirmed that they had paid amounts of up to 3,000 dinars ($9,743) in
exchange for coming to Kuwait, and that they were also paying annual sums for
renewing their residency visas.
Among the
complaints submitted against the suspected Bangladeshi MP, is that he is
believed to have provided five luxury cars as bribes to government officials in
Kuwait, so that he could obtain contracts for the company he runs there.
Kuwaiti media
has also accused him of trading visas and siphoning off money to the US for
laundering. One source reported that the suspect is a member of a three-man
racket whose other members include a Bangladeshi MP, whose wife is also an MP.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200710-kuwait-may-charge-bangladesh-envoy-in-human-trafficking-case/
--------
Bangladesh
says Rohingya refugees can't leave island
Jul 10, 2020
Hundreds of
Rohingya refugees on a flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal will not be
allowed to leave unless they agree to return home, Bangladesh authorities said
Thursday.
The 306 Muslim
Rohingya from Myanmar were put on Bhashan Char island in April after being
taken off two boats trying to traffic them to Malaysia.
Their plight
has been taken up by the United Nations, an international rights group, and
community leaders, who want them moved to more established refugee camps on the
mainland.
"They
will stay at Bhasan Char until they are repatriated to Myanmar," Mohammed
KhorshedAlam Khan, administrator for the district covering the island, told AFP.
He said the
refugees are well taken care of and have better facilities than in the
overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar where 700,000 Rohingya fled in 2017 to escape
a Myanmar military clampdown.
In April,
Bangladesh authorities said the Rohingya would be kept on the island in order
to stop the spread of coronavirus in the sprawling refugee camps.
But Human
Rights Watch (HRW) questioned that motivation and said the refugees were not
being treated well.
"Bangladesh
authorities are using the pandemic as an excuse to detain refugees on a spit of
land in the middle of a churning monsoon sea while their families anxiously
pray for their return," said Brad Adams, the organisation's Asia
representative.
He also asked
why Bangladesh authorities were not giving aid workers access to the island
settlement.
A Rohingya
leader from the Cox's Bazar camps said relatives of those on the island wanted
to hold talks with Bangladesh's refugee commissioner.
"We
request the authorities to send our children to our families," said Mohib
Ullah, head of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, which
lobbies for the Rohingya.
HRW said it
had received reports that refugees on Bhashan Char had little freedom of
movement or adequate access to food, safe water and medical care.
A government
official involved with the case rejected the criticism but admitted some
refugees wanted to be reunited with their families.
https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-says-rohingya-refugees-cant-leave-island-312409
--------
28 Georgian
soldiers infected with coronavirus in Afghanistan
11 Jul 2020
At least 28
Georgian soldiers have reportedly contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
in Afghanistan, it has been reported.
The local
Georgian media outlets, quoting the country’s Ministry of Defense, reported
that the Georgian defense authorities have moved the infected soldiers out of
Afghanistan.
The reports
further added that the infected soldiers are currently undergoing treatment in
a military hospital in Georgia.
The NATO
alliance in Afghanistan under which the Georgian forces operate have not
commented regarding the reports so far.
According to
reports, the alliance reported the spread of the novel coronavirus among
certain NATO forces in Afghanistan about four months ago.
This comes as
the public health officials reported Friday that almost 34,000 people have
contracted the novel corovirus in the country since its outspread.
According to
the Ministry of Public Health, the virus has so far killed at least 1,000
people across the country.
https://www.khaama.com/28-georgian-soldiers-infected-with-coronavirus-in-afghanistan-08952/
--------
Explosion
reported close to a ministry compound in Kabul city
11 Jul 2020
An explosion
went off close to the Ministry of Public Works in Kabul city earlier today with
the preliminary reports indicating the blast wounded at least two people.
A security
source confirmed the explosion took place close to the Ministry of Public Works
in Kabul city earlier today, wounding at least two people.
The source
further added that a magnetic improvised explosive device went off close to the
ministry compound.
The
eyewitnesses earlier reported that the explosion took place close to Abdul Haq
Square.
Photos
published on social media indicate white plumes of white smoke rising from the
site of the explosion.
No individual
or group including Taliban has so far claimed responsibility for the incident.
https://www.khaama.com/explosion-reported-close-to-a-ministry-compound-in-kabul-city-08951/
--------
Roadside bomb
kills, wounds 5 children in South of Afghanistan
11 Jul 2020
An Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) explosion killed or wounded at least five children in
southern Zabul province of Afghanistan.
The 205th Atal
Corps in a statement said the terrorists had planted an Improvised Explosive
Device on a roadside in Qalat, the provincial capital of Zabul.
The statement
further added that the terrorists had planted the roadside bomb to target the
Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.
However, the
205th Atal Corps said the explosion killed three children and wounded two
others who were later transported to health facilities by security forces.
The
anti-government armed militants including Taliban have not commented regarding
the incident so far.
Taliban and
other armed militants frequently use improvised explosive devices to target the
security forces but majority of such attacks inflict casualties on ordinary
civilians.
https://www.khaama.com/roadside-bomb-kills-wounds-5-children-in-south-of-afghanistan-08950/
--------
India
Muslims From
Malerkotla, Punjab, Offer 330 Quintal Wheat for Langar At Golden Temple
Jul 10, 2020
AMRITSAR
Muslims from Malerkotla town on Friday offered 330 quintals of wheat to Guru
Ram Das Langar, the community kitchen of Golden Temple here.
The delegation
that brought the foodgrain was led by Sikh-Muslim SanjhaManch president Nasir
Akhtar. They paid obeisance at Darbar Sahib and also met acting Akal Takht
jathedarGiani Harpreet Singh. They also partook of langar at the community
kitchen.
For offering
the wheat, Golden Temple chief manager Mukhtiar Singh and additional manager Rajinder
Singh Ruby honoured the delegation members with siropas. “Cooperation between
Sikhs and Muslims has prevailed since the times of Gurus. There is a dire need
of enhancing the same,” said Akhtar, who was accompanied by Anwar Khan, Shabir
Khan, Mohammad Arphan, Mohammad Liyakat, Sadaq Ali and Mohammad Hanif.
Appreciating
the services being rendered at the community kitchen for needy people, he said,
“The people irrespective of their faith, colour, caste and creed, are
distributed free food here. This is the greatness of Guru Darbar.”
Shiromani
Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Gobind Singh Longowal thanked
the delegation for their kind gesture saying, “The Muslim community of
Malerkotla has set a rare example and such efforts promote communal harmony.”
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/muslims-offer-330-quintal-wheat-for-langar-at-golden-temple/story-mOE8YfGTBrYkQmS8IFRApM.html
--------
A New Temple
and A Mosque Would Be Constructed in The New Secretariat Complex, Says
Telangana CM
Jul 11, 2020
Hyderabad:
Before the controversy over demolition of NallaPochamma temple and a masjid on
the old secretariat premises could escalate further, chief minister K
Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday announced that a new temple and a mosque would be
constructed in the new secretariat complex.
The CM’s
assurance came after several religious leaders expressed unhappiness at the
manner in which the temple and the mosque were brought down during the
demolition of buildings in the old secretariat.
Expressing
regret, the CM said: “I will meet with the temple and mosque organisers soon.
This incident (damage to the religious structures) happened unexpectedly and
everyone should understand that there was no prejudice.” He said Telangana is a
secular state and will always remain one.
KCR said the
government would not hesitate to spend crores of rupees on the temple and
masjid.
The mosque was
located adjacent to the C Block where the CM used to function, while the temple
was standing right opposite to the CM’s chambers. Official sources said before
taking up the demolition in the early hours of Tuesday, officials performed
homam at the temple.
Assuaging the
feelings of the religious heads, the CM further said: “I came to know that
during demolition of the multi-storey old buildings, the temple and mosque
adjacent to the old blocks got damaged as debris on them.”
The CM said
the government’s intention was to build a new complex by demolishing the old
blocks without causing damage to the temple or the mosque.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/temple-mosque-to-be-built-at-new-secretariat-says-cm/articleshow/76901114.cms
--------
Temple,
Mosques at Telangana Secretariat Razed, Congress, BJP Say Superstitious KCR’s
Days Are Numbered
Ashish Pandey
July 11, 2020
The demolition
of NallaPochamma Temple and two mosques at the secretariat complex in Hyderabad
has turned into a political war with opposition BJP and Congress calling it a
‘Black Day’ in the history of Telangana.
Congress
working president and MP A Revanth Reddy has alleged that Chief Minister K
Chandrasekhar Rao has shown that his own sentiments and superstitions were much
above the religious sentiments of all other communities.
“Secretariat
complex, along with NallaPochamma Temple and two mosques, were being demolished
only to satisfy the superstitious beliefs of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao
(KCR) who wants his son K Tarakarama Rao (KTR) to become the next CM,” said the
Congress MP.
Reddy also
claimed that it's a superstitious belief that all chief ministers who worked
from “vaastu unfit” secretariat were unable to provide a safe political carrier
for their son and this is the actual reason behind the demolition.
The Congress
leader has further said that as per the directions of Supreme Court, no permanent
structure can be built near Hussainsagar and announced that he would move the
Supreme Court against the demolition.
He also
questioned on Hyderabad MP and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi for not
protesting against the demolition of mosques. He also demanded that
Secunderabad MP and Union Minister G Kishan Reddy must speak on this issue.
Pointing at
the historic significance of the secretariat building, Reddy said 16 chief
ministers of the state carried out their duties from the same secretariat complex
without any hindrance.
“By
demolishing the old secretariat, KCR has tried not only to erase the history,
but also attacked the heritage, culture, beliefs and popular sentiments,” said
Revanth Reddy.
He also
pointed out that while most of the blocks in the secretariat were recently
constructed or renovated at a huge cost and they were in perfect working
conditions, now crores of public money were turned into debris.
The Congress
leader has alleged that the demolition was carried out without taking any environmental
clearances while National Green Tribunal (NGT) norms were also ignored.
Meanwhile,
addressing a virtual rally BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao also
lashed out at the KCR government and said that his days are numbered.
“Demolishing
NallaPochamma temple will be a curse which will haunt the KCR government and
with this action he has lowered the life span of his own government,” said
Muralidhar Rao.
He also
questioned the hasty demolition move when the state is in the middle of a global
pandemic.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/bjp-congress-slam-kcr-govt-over-temple-mosque-demolition-1699370-2020-07-11
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NIA names IS
operative in TN cop’s murder case
Jul 11, 2020
The National
Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet naming an Islamic State
operative from Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore — Khaja Mohideen and five others in the
killing of a police officer in Kanyakumari in January this year as part of
Mohideen’s plan to revive Jehad, the agency said in a statement on Friday.
Apart from
53-year-old Mohideen, those charge sheeted include Abdul Shameem and Y Thowfeek
of Kanyakumari; Jaffar Ali (Cuddalore); Mahboob Pasha and Ejas Pasha of
Bengaluru.
NIA
spokesperson DIG Sonia Narang said the charge sheet was filed in the murder of
Wilson, Special Sub-Inspector (SSI) of Kaliyakkavilai police station, who was
shot and stabbed to death on January 8 by Shameem and Thowfeek while the
officer was on duty at Kaliyakkavilai market road check post. She added that
the accused revealed their intention of creating terror in the minds of people
as part of waging a violent jihad.
The NIA took
over the case on February 1 from the Tamil Nadu Police and during
investigation, the roles of Mohideen, Mahboob, Ejas and Jaffer in the larger
conspiracy were revealed and they were arraigned as accused.
Narang said
Mohideen, a member of the ISIS, had radicalised Shameem and Thowfeek on the
jihadi (violent extremist) ideology since May 2019, and recruited them into his
terrorist gang to carry out violent attacks.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nia-names-is-operative-in-tn-cop-s-murder-case/story-cwz2nHEHgrO9TOKv4PJEHK.html
--------
J-K: Army
foils infiltration attempt along LoC; 2 militants killed
July 11, 2020
Two militants
were killed on Saturday as the Army foiled an infiltration attempt along the
Line of Control (LoC) in Naugam sector of Jammu and Kashmir, a defence
spokesperson said.
Early in the
morning, suspicious movement was detected by the troops along the Line of
Control at Naugam sector in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, defence
spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.
The troops
swiftly launched an ambush which led to the killing of the two militants, he
said, adding that two AK-47 rifles and war-like stores were seized from the
spot.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-and-kashmir-infiltration-bid-naugam-sector-militants-killed-6500339/
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J&K news
portal editor summoned again over Hizb gunfight coverage
by Adil Akhzer
July 11, 2020
Jammu and
Kashmir Police has summoned Fahad Shah, editor of ‘The Kashmir Walla’ website,
in connection with coverage of the gun-battle in which top Hizbul Mujahideen
militant Junaid Sehrai was killed in Srinagar in May.
“On 9 July,
The Kashmir Walla’s editor received a formal summon from Safakadal police
station saying that ‘your presence is necessary for the purpose of enquiry into
the offence committed under section 147, 307, 109, 501, 505 IPC’,” the website
said in a statement on Friday.
Shah was
earlier summoned by Cyber police station in Srinagar on May 19.
Srinagar SSP
Haseeb Mughal said on Friday, “There is [an] FIR registered and the police
station concerned is doing investigation as per law.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jk-news-portal-editor-summoned-again-over-hizb-gunfight-coverage-6499968/
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Southeast Asia
Come meet
Agong with me to talk interfaith harmony, federal unity minister tells Sarawak
DCM
10 Jul 2020
BY SULOK TAWIE
KUCHING, July
10 — Federal Minister of National Unity Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sidique today
invited Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Douglas UggahEmbas to a discussion
on ways to improve interfaith harmony in the country.
She said she
had spoken to the Yang Di-PertuanAgong about Sarawak’s Unit For Other Religions
(Unifor) and how it worked to promote cooperation, understanding and mutual
respect between Islam and other religions and hoped Uggah could elaborate on
its achievements.
“I am inviting
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas UggahEmbas to attend this meeting over
high tea.
“He can then
brief our King on the formation and role of Unifor,” she said during a courtesy
call on Uggah, who is also the minister in-charge of Unifor.
Halimah said
she will be meeting the King again soon, together with the national heads of
all religions in the country and heads of religious organisations.
Unifor was set
up in 2016 by former Sarawak chief minister, the late Tan Sri AdenanSatem to
take care of non-Islamic religions.
“We have
learnt and are continuing to learn a lot from Sarawak in terms of promoting and
strengthening racial and religious tolerance, unity and harmony,” Halimah
stressed.
Halimah, on
her first official visit since her appointment in March, was accompanied by her
deputy Senator Datuk Ti Lian Ker, the ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Wan
Suraya Wan Md Radziand director-general
Datuk HisamuddinMohdSujak.
She said her
ministry would work very closely with Unifor and to learn from its wide
experience in dealing with all religious issues.
“We want to adopt
and adapt the concept of the unit into our community harmony committee,” she
said.
Uggah said
Unifor had played its role in further enhancing solidarity among Sarawakians.
“They now feel
they have a place to bring up their problems.
“We have
solved what we can do for them and there is no discrimination,” he said in his
speech.
He added that
Unifor is also a bridge between Islam and the various religious groups where
issues which can bring the people into conflict are amicably discussed and
resolved for the benefits of all.
He said it is
in the national interest too if Sarawak continues to enjoy racial and religious
harmony and solidarity.
Earlier,
Unifor director Richard Lon, in his briefing to Halimah, said out of Sarawak’s
2.6 million population (2013), about 1.1 million or 42.6 per cent are
Christians, 837,200 or 32.2 per cent Muslims, 351,000 Buddhist or 13.5 per cent
and 304,000 or 11.7 per cent practising other faiths.
He said there
are about 2,335 churches and temples.
He said the
state government since 2016 had provided grants totalling RM115 millions to
Unifor which had enabled 520 religious projects to be carried out.
Lon also said
the state government has allocated a 1. 2-hectare site at Ong TiangSwee Road
here for Unifor to build its office complex.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/10/come-meet-agong-with-me-to-talk-interfaith-harmony-federal-unity-minister-t/1883350
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Perak Islamic
religious council sponsored students have until July 17 to decide on varsity
offer
10 Jul 2020
IPOH, July 10
— Perak Islamic Religious Council & Malay Customs (MAIPK) sponsored
students in the Middle East, who have returned home following the Covid-19
pandemic, have until July 17 to accept or reject the offer to study at
Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah USAS in Kuala Kangsar.
USAS
vice-chancellor, Tan Sri Prof Dr NordinKardi said students could give their
decision by filling the reply form online or they could obtain the printed form
at MAIPk or the university.
“The details
on the offer are available at the MAIPk and those involved are only required to
inform of their decision as other matters will be settled by USAS and MAIPk.
Lectures are scheduled to start next week as soon as the students have
registered,” USAS said in the statement today.
According to
the statement, a special briefing was given by Nordin to about 60 MAIPk
sponsored students who returned to Malaysia, at the USAS Auditorium which was
also attended by MAIPk chief executive officer, Shahrul Azam Shaari.
Nordin said
MAIPk and USAS took the initiative to facilitate registration, credit transfer
and related matters so that the affected students could immediately continue
their studies through this special programme.
USAS is a
private university owned by the Perak state government. Established in 1999, it
was first known as Kolej Islam DarulRidzuan (Kisdar) and was later renamed as
KolejUniversiti Islam Sultan Azlan Shah (KUISAS) in 2013. Three years later the
university college was further upgraded to full university status.
Since February,
285 MAIPk students from various universities in the Middle East including
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Morocco have returned to Malaysia.. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/10/maipk-sponsored-students-have-until-july-17-to-decide-on-usas-offer/1883373
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Arab world
Saudi-led
coalition in Yemen says explosive-laden boats destroyed
9 Jul 2020
The Saudi-led
military coalition fighting the Houthi group in Yemen has destroyed two
explosive-laden boats in the Red Sea on Thursday, the coalition's spokesperson
said.
The two
remotely controlled boats belonged to Houthi forces and were threatening
navigation, according to the spokesperson's statement carried on Saudi state
news agency SPA.
The boats were
destroyed 6km (3.7 miles) south of the Yemeni port of Salif.
Arabic media
cited a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, Turki al-Malki, as saying the
Houthis' boats had posed an "imminent threat to sea lines of
communication, international trade and regional and international
security".
"[The
boats] were prepared to imminently execute hostile and terrorist actions in the
Bab Al Mandab Strait and Southern Red Sea," said al-Maliki.
Al-Maliki
added the operation had not violated recently agreed ceasefire deals, and
"all precautionary measures" were taken to protect civilians.
However, Yahya
Sarea, a Houthi armed forces a spokesperson, said on Twitter the boats were
civilian vessels and called the coalition attack a 'major aggression' which
violated the Stockholm peace deal, a UN-brokered agreement reached in December
2018.
Saudi
offensive
The latest
developments come after the kingdom announced the start of a new military
operation in Yemen earlier this month, with fighter jets belonging to the
Saudi-led coalition launching dozens of air raids on several Yemeni provinces.
Saudi
television reported at the time the coalition had begun a military push against
the Houthis after the group stepped up cross-border missile and drone attacks
on the kingdom.
The Houthis
denounced the air raids and pledged to continue military operations inside
Saudi Arabia, as Houthi-run Al Masirah Media Network reported air raids on the
capital, Sanaa, as well as Marib, al-Jouf, al-Bayda, Hajjah and Saada
provinces.
Last year,
Saudi Arabia was targeted with dozens of attacks using ballistic missiles and
drones, including a devastating assault on two facilities of oil giant Saudi
Aramco that temporarily knocked out half the kingdom's crude output.
Yemen has been
locked in conflict since 2014 when the Houthis seized much of the country's
north, including Sanaa.
Fighting
escalated in March 2015 when the Western-backed military coalition intervened
to restore the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The
long-running war has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, and
forced millions from their homes in what the United Nations has called the
world's worst humanitarian crisis.
In June, the
UN's humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock warned that Yemen will "fall off the
cliff" without significant financial support.
In April, the
coalition announced a truce to enable work to halt the spread of coronavirus.
Saudi Arabia has accused the Houthi group of breaking the ceasefire thousands
of times since it was implemented.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/saudi-led-coalition-yemen-explosive-laden-boats-destroyed-200709151347988.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1350743_
--------
UN Rights
Chief Says Lebanon ‘Spiralling Out of Control’
10 July 2020
Lebanon's
economic crisis is getting out of hand, the UN rights chief warned Friday,
calling for urgent internal reforms coupled with international support to
prevent further mayhem.
“This
situation is fast spiraling out of control, with many already destitute and
facing starvation as a direct result of this crisis,” Michelle Bachelet, the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/10/UN-rights-chief-says-Lebanon-spiraling-out-of-control-.html
--------
Iraq PM
Kadhimi pays respects to slain scholar’s family, calls him ‘hero’
10 July 2020
Iraqi Prime
Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi paid his respects on Wednesday to the family of
slain scholar and government advisor Hisham al-Hashemi, pledging to “avenge”
his death.
Hashemi, 47,
was a specialist in extremist movements and had developed a vast network of top
decision makers, armed groups, and rival parties, often mediating among them.
He was shot
dead outside his Baghdad home on Monday night by gunmen on motorcycles, leaving
behind a wife, three sons, and a daughter.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
On Wednesday,
Kadhimi paid his respects to the family, calling Hashemi – a personal friend
and advisor – a “hero.”
“Those afraid
of a word can only be described as cowards. Hisham did nothing but try to help
Iraqis through his words,” said Kadhimi, hugging the deceased’s tearful three
sons Issa, Moussa, and Ahmed.
Their names
translate in Arabic to Jesus, Moses, and another name for the Prophet Mohammed.
The three boys
had rushed outside their home on Monday after hearing gunshots and helped
neighbors pull their father’s bullet-riddled body from his car.
“This
behaviour is not Iraqi. Iraqis don’t kill Iraqis,” Kadhimi said.
“I will avenge
him, and God willing his killers will not go free. I am your brother, and Issa,
Moussa, and Ahmed are my children,” the premier told Hashemi’s widow.
“This is my
duty and the state’s duty,” he added.
Hashemi was a
renowned researcher on ISIS and had more recently become outspoken against
rogue armed actors in Iraq.
He was no
stranger to intimidation efforts, but those close to him told AFP he had
received more serious threats from Iran-backed groups in recent weeks.
Experts have
voiced fear that Hashemi’s killing would usher in a dark era in which prominent
voices critical of political parties and armed groups would be violently
silenced.
Already, there
has been no accountability for more than 550 people killed in protest-related
violence since October, when mass rallies slammed Iraq’s government as corrupt,
inept, and beholden to neighboring Iran.
Among them are
around two dozen activists who were shot dead, often by masked assailants on
motorcycles.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/10/Iraq-PM-Kadhimi-pays-respects-to-slain-scholar-s-family-calls-him-hero-.html
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Egypt army
drill ‘sends a message to Erdogan’
July 10, 2020
CAIRO: A major
Egyptian army exercise near the border with Libya is being viewed by military
and strategic experts as a message of deterrence to Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan over his backing for the Government of National Accord led by
Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj and supported by militia groups.
The combat
exercise, codenamed “Hasm 2020” (Firmness 2020), was carried out by Egypt’s
Western Region units together with armed forces formations and special troops,
including paratroops and SEAL teams.
The drills
included strategic incursions by land forces and land-sea operations by troops
in coastal areas of the Western Region near the border with Libya. Other
exercises focused on the threat from mercenary or terror groups.
Air defense
and artillery maneuvers were also carried out during the exercises, which
lasted several days.
African
affairs and national security expert Gen. Mohammed Abdel-Wahed said the Hasm
2020 exercise “carries many internal and external messages of assurance to our
brothers in Libya and deterrence to some regional parties.”
The drill “was
a message of deterrence to anyone who thinks he can threaten Egyptian national
security” and “a simulation of war,” he added.
According to
an army statement, the drill’s main phase was attended by Egyptian Minister of
Defense Mohamed Zaki, and included live artillery and weapons fire.
Strategic
expert Gen. Samir Farag said: “What happened was not an ordinary drill because
the forces attacked mercenaries. Our army always fights a regular army. What is
different about this drill is training to combat mercenaries. One of the
training tasks is to carry out attacks to eliminate mercenaries in cooperation
with the air force.”
Farag said the
drill “is a message that we will operate on the coasts if they are under
threat.”
He said the
Egyptian air force succeeded in providing air supplies, “meaning that we have
forces capable of going anywhere.”
Farag said
that the Western Region had been carefully selected as a location for the
exercises.
“We closely
monitor any drill carried out by any of our enemies,” he said, adding that Hasm
2020 had been studied and followed up by some countries in the region.
Egyptian MP
and journalist Mustafa Bakry said that “every Egyptian should be proud of their
armed forces and their extensive preparation to counter any attack on Egypt or
threaten its national security.”
Bakry said
that Hasm 2020 sent “a clear message to anyone who attempts to threaten Egypt
or its people.”
The Libyan
cities of Sirte and Al-Jufra are a red line, he said, adding that “Egypt will
never leave Libya and its brotherly people as an easy prey to the Turkish
invader.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1702876/middle-east
--------
OIC, GCC
chiefs discuss boosting cooperation
July 10, 2020
RIYADH: The
secretaries-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) met in Riyadh for talks on further strengthening
ties between the two bodies.
Head of the
OIC, Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, congratulated his GCC counterpart, Dr.Naif bin
Falah Al-Hajraf, on his appointment to the position earlier this year.
During the
meeting, they discussed joint implementation mechanisms for the OIC-GCC
cooperation agreement and exchanged views on regional issues relevant to member
states of both organizations.
Meanwhile,
Al-Othaimeen spoke by phone with the former GCC secretary-general and current
Bahraini minister of foreign affairs, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani.
Their conversation touched on the OIC’s efforts to help stop the spread of the
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in member states.
In relation to
the organization of this year’s Hajj season, Al-Zayani praised the decisive
actions of Saudi Arabia aimed at protecting Muslim pilgrims from the health
threat posed by the COVID-19 outbreak.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1702896/saudi-arabia
--------
Africa
Burkina Faso's
Volunteer Fighters Are No Match for Jihadists
July 9, 2020
KONGOUSSI,
Burkina Faso — Armed only with a knife, Issa Tamboure was no match for gun-wielding
jihadists who attacked his village in northern Burkina Faso in March.
So Tamboure,
63, rounded up his family — including his 13 children — and ran, eventually
reaching a camp for people displaced by violence.
But Tamboure
was not a typical civilian fleeing the extremists linked to al-Qaida and the
Islamic State organization who have been dramatically escalating their attacks
in the West African nation in recent years. He is among the volunteers who
signed up with Burkina Faso’s military to help fight the militants.
But his plight
shows the program's weakness: With little training, few weapons, and dwindling
means amid an economic downturn fueled by the coronavirus pandemic, volunteers
now say they are unable to adequately battle the well-armed extremists.
“When you
don’t have enough to eat, you don’t have enough strength to use a rifle,” said
Tamboure, running his fingers over the family's tattered tent in a makeshift
displacement camp in Kongoussi, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) from his home.
He said the number of volunteers who patrol a swath between his village and the
camp at night has fallen in recent months to around 200 from 500.
For years,
Burkina Faso was spared the kind of Islamic extremism that hit neighboring
Niger and Mali, where a 2013 French-led military intervention dislodged
jihadists from power in several major towns. But deaths from attacks in the
country have risen from about 80 in 2016 to over 1,800 in 2019, according to
the United Nations. Burkina Faso’s military has struggled to contain the
violence despite training and aid from the French and U.S. militaries.
In an attempt
to bolster the army, the government passed a law to arm civilians in January.
Many towns have no government or military presence, leaving only this corps of
volunteers to protect their villages.
Armed with a
few hunting rifles and knives, the fighters patrol the surrounding bush and
escort displaced civilians back to their villages to plant crops or pick up
belongings or to other areas to visit relatives. In Kongoussi last month,
residents told The Associated Press they were grateful for the patrols.
“Even if I’m a
little afraid, I feel safer with the volunteers,” said Souleiman Soule, 44.
But several
volunteer fighters in hard hit areas in the north and west of the country told
the AP that because of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic they no
longer have money to buy gas for their motorbikes to conduct patrols.
Analysts are
concerned that restrictions on movement imposed to control the virus will make
it harder for the volunteer fighters to receive equipment and supplies, thus
emboldening the militants, especially in rural areas.
“The security
forces are already overwhelmed, under-resourced, and have a bad
reputation," said Laith Alkhouri, an intelligence specialist who
researches violent extremists in West Africa. "Any shortage or delays in
manpower will require the army to divert important resources to fill the gap of
the volunteer groups, making them unable to get in front of the violence.”
Meanwhile, the
volunteers have been targeted by the jihadists. In the western region of Boucle
du Mouhoun last month, several people told the AP that volunteer fighters were
being killed in the markets.
Such attacks
were predictable, say experts.
“As long as
you decide to establish community defense mechanisms, they’re systemically
going to become threats and the targets of these (extremist) groups,” said
William Assanvo, senior researcher with the Institute for Security Studies.
A ragtag group
of volunteers won't be able to stop Burkina Faso’s cycle of violence, he said.
And there's some evidence they are contributing to it.
The
proliferation of armed men across the country — including the military, the
government-sanctioned volunteers, and also ad hoc community defense groups —
has led to an increase in extrajudicial killings, say rights groups.
Graves
containing at least 180 bodies and remains were found in Djibo, and there is
evidence suggesting government security forces were involved in the slayings,
Human Rights Watch said this week. Djibo is home to many Fulanis, an ethnic
group whose members are predominantly Muslim and have been targeted over
allegations they are affiliated with Islamist groups.
Allegations of
human rights abuses by volunteers have also been “rampant,” said Ousmane
Diallo, West Africa researcher for Amnesty International.
“Volunteer
fighters are problematic and have led to more violence and reprisal,” said
Diallo.
Neither the
government nor the army responded to repeated requests from the AP for comment.
But fighters
struggling to protect their communities say they need more government support.
In the
northern town of Ouahigouya, an 18-year-old said his community received arms to
help the army fight extremists in November — before the government officially
began its volunteer program — but then soldiers took back the weapons, leaving
villagers with little to defend themselves and now marked as targets for
retaliation. The teen, who helped fight, spoke on condition of anonymity
because he is afraid for his safety.
“These tactics
make us vulnerable to terrorists,” he said, hanging his head. “We think the
soldiers are creating more problems than solutions.”
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/07/09/world/africa/ap-af-burkina-faso-volunteer-fighters.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1350743_
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Libya's
Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh Issa arrives in Geneva for ceasefire talks
10 July 2020
The speaker of
Libya's eastern-based parliament Aguila Saleh Issa arrived in Geneva on Friday
for discussions over how to resume the ceasefire talks aimed at ending the
ongoing conflict in the country.
Saleh is
expected to meet with Stephanie Williams, the American deputy head of the
United Nations Support Mission, and European officials.
Saleh heads
the Libyan parliament which recognizes the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by
Khalifa Haftar, which has been fighting against the Turkish-backed Government
of National Accord (GNA) for control of the country.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The GNA
recently gained ground against the LNA, breaking the siege of Tripoli and
capturing the Watiya airbase. It now threatens the LNA-controlled strategic
city of Sirte.
Turkey has
sent thousands of Syrian mercenaries to support the GNA.
The LNA is
backed by Egypt, the UAE, France, and Russia.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/07/10/Libya-s-Parliament-Speaker-Aguila-Issa-Saleh-arrives-in-Geneva-for-ceasefire-talks.html
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Libya:
Haftar’s army of foreign mercenaries growing
EnesCanli
10.07.2020
TRIPOLI
Libyan warlord
Khalifa Haftar, who attempted to capture the capital Tripoli and was defeated,
has stepped up efforts to recruit members of gangs, militias accused of
genocide and Russian-backed mercenaries in a desperate attempt to recoup
battlefield losses.
Haftar’s
illegal forces in eastern Libya tried to take advantage of the administrative
gap in the country after a coup attempt in 2014. After taking over southern
regions of Libya at the beginning of 2019, Haftar chose Tripoli as his new
target with the support of foreign powers.
While Libya
was preparing to hold a national consensus conference under the UN and all
groups had accepted a ceasefire, Haftar ordered an attack to take over Tripoli
on April 4, 2019 and seize the Government of National Accord (GNA), Libya’s
UN-recognized legitimate administration.
But upon
failing to achieve his objectives after 14 months, Haftar needed a constant
stream of human resources in order to continue his war.
He struggled
to gather fighters under a single roof with promises.
Sudan’s
government launches operation to nab mercenaries
The Sudanese
government announced on June 28 that 122 mercenaries who were preparing to go
to Libya had been arrested in an operation.
The presence
of Sudanese fighters who were deceived by the United Arab Emirates-based
security company Black Shield Security Services and taken to Libya is also
widely mentioned in UN reports.
Syrian
mercenaries from Assad regime’s side increase
Russia also
increased its efforts to bring mercenaries from Syria under the control of the
Assad regime to Libya, according to local sources.
Moscow has
sent 300 mercenaries, most of them Syrians who are fighting for the regime,
from the city of Deir ez-Zor. Among the new fighters, there are also some
Iranian and Afghan nationals.
The
mercenaries were taken to Russia’s military points in Latakia, Syria for
training.
Eight former
members of Daesh, also known as ISIS, were among the fighters Russia sent to
Libya.
It is
estimated that the number of mercenaries sent by Russia to Haftar from various
provinces in Syria has reached nearly 2,000.
Thousands of
Wagner Group mercenaries fighting on frontline
Russia’s
Wagner Group is one of the most controversial groups among the mercenaries. It
is owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a catering magnate who is also known as “Putin’s
chef" due to his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The firm is
known for its mercenaries and political activities in Syria, Ukraine, Libya and
other African countries.
Wagner is
known for its support of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and separatist
groups in eastern Ukraine as well as the activities of its mercenaries in
Syria, Ukraine and African countries.
According to
UN reports, Wagner is working for Haftar with more than a thousand mercenaries.
Wagner’s
presence in Libya becomes visible
Mercenaries
from the Wagner Group turned the military balance in favor of Haftar after
intervening in the conflict in Libya. The group’s military presence had
remained uncertain for a long time.
Video footage of
thousands of mercenaries reportedly affiliated with Wagner was captured while
they were withdrawing from the front lines in the capital to areas under
Haftar’s control and revealed the security company's activities in Libya.
Anadolu Agency
teams monitored the places where the Wagner Group withdrew from and proved the
presence of the group on the ground in Libya with many notes scribbled in
Russian on the walls of civilian homes as well as Russian books left behind.
Libya’s
National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced on July 5 that the Al-Sharara oil
field had been occupied by Wagner mercenaries. NOC said it had video and sound
recordings of this as proof.
Additionally,
NOC reported that foreign mercenaries entered Sidra oil port in eastern Libya
just a few days ago and that they are working to make it a military center.
The United
States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has released satellite pictures of Russian
MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets that landed in Libya, stating they are likely to
be used by Wagner Group mercenaries.
Ill-famed
Janjaweed militias from Darfur
The Janjaweed
militia, which is accused of genocide in the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, was at
the forefront of the war in Libya alongside Haftar’s forces.
Libyan
Interior Minister FathiBashagha said Haftar gave a military base in Libya to
the UAE and emphasized that foreign fighters from the Wagner Group, Janjaweed
militia and Chadian fighters fought together.
The UN
Security Council’s reports also highlighted that there are many foreign fighters
from Darfur on the ground in Libya.
Although
Haftar denies the presence of foreign fighters in his ranks, his activities in
Libya’s Oil Crescent region and reliance on foreign fighters from Darfur to
provide security in Jufra district were highlighted in the UN Security
Council’s various reports on Libya.
Moreover,
non-state actors from Darfur who obtained weapons and power in Libya became
involved in activities such as arms trade and human trafficking.
ICC issues
arrest warrant for Haftar commander
Extremist
Medhali Salafists advocate the view that rulers should be obeyed. They consider
Saudi Arabia as their ruler, so they fight for Haftar, who is backed by Riyadh.
The Nida
Battalion, the most prominent among Salafist movements, is commanded by Mahmoud
al-Werfalli, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for committing
war crimes.
Haftar
announced in July that he had promoted Werfalli from a so-called major to
lieutenant colonel.
Werfalli is
accused of executing many people in Benghazi, capturing the entire act on
video.
Al-Qaniyat
units in Tarhuna
On June 5, the
Libyan army liberated the city of Tarhuna, which was being used as an operation
and supply center by militias loyal to Haftar.
Hundreds of
corpses were found in the city hospital, a container belonging to the hospital
and a water well near the city.
The most
tragic part in Tarhuna came to light when mass graves were excavated as part of
investigations opened by the Libyan government.
Additionally,
some 30 corpses have been found on farmland in Tarhuna.
Al-Qaniyat
units are accused of indiscriminately targeting tribes and families which they
considered opponents during their domination of the city.
The units,
located in Tarhuna city, 90 kilometers (56 miles) southeast of the capital, are
under the control of the Qani brothers. The vast majority of the units consist
of ex-soldiers of Libyan late leader Muammar Gaddafi's army.
These units
previously worked for Libya's UN-recognized GNA in Tripoli but were cast aside
due to their links to Haftar.
They leaked
information to Haftar's forces and made the occupation of some neighborhoods
south of the capital possible.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libya-haftar-s-army-of-foreign-mercenaries-growing/1905456
--------
North America
US court
orders Iran to pay $879 mln to Saudi Arabia's Khobar bombing survivors
10 July 2020
A United
States federal court has ordered Iran to pay $879 million to the survivors of
the 1996 terrorist bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, where US forces
lived, according to a law firm press release.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
The court
found that Iranian defendants had directed and “provided material support” for
the attack in which members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah al-Hejaz organization
detonated a 5,000-pound truck bomb at the complex located in the Dhahran
region, the MM-LAW LLC law firm said in the press release carried by the
Associated Press.
Nineteen US
Air Force members were killed in the attack and more than 400 others were
injured.
“The passage
of over two decades since the Khobar Towers attack has not thwarted our
efforts,” lead attorney Adora Sauer said in the press release. “We will
continue to seek to hold the Government of Iran accountable for this terrorist
attack as long as is necessary.”
The attorneys
said they intend to “pursue enforcement of the judgements through litigation
intended to seize Iranian assets.
The lawsuit
was brought against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the country’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and
Security, according to the law firm.
The 14 injured
US Air Force members and 21 immediate family members who brought on the lawsuit
“will be eligible for partial payments from the United States Victims of State
Sponsored Terrorism Fund.”
“The funds are
obtained from fines and forfeitures levied against companies caught illegally
laundering money for sanctioned countries and persons,” according to the press
release.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/10/US-court-orders-Iran-to-pay-879-mln-to-Khobar-bombing-survivors-Press-release.html
--------
UN Official:
700 People Died in Syrian Camps for IS Families
July 10, 2020
UNITED NATIONS
— The U.N. counterterrorism chief said his office received information that 700
people died recently in two camps in northeast Syria, where about 70,000 mainly
women and children connected to Islamic State fighters are detained in “very
dire conditions.”
Vladimir Vorontsov
told a news conference Thursday that the people, including children, died of
“lack of medicine, lack of food” at the al-Hol and Roj camps, which are
overseen by Kurdish-led forces allied with the United States who spearheaded
the fight against the extremist group.
He said the
deaths in the camps created “feelings of anger.”
Vorontsov
urged the international community to tackle “the huge problem” of what to do
with these people, saying keeping them in camps “is very dangerous.”
He warned that
“they could create very explosive materials that could be very helpful for
terrorists to restart their activities” in Syria and Iraq.
The Islamic
State, which once controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria, lost its last
Syrian strongholds in early 2019. But despite the loss of its self-styled
caliphate, U.N. experts said earlier this year that the extremist group is
mounting increasingly bold attacks in Syria and Iraq and is planning for the
breakout of its fighters in detention facilities.
In addition to
the al-Hol and Roj camps, the Kurdish fighters are guarding thousands of IS
fighters and boys in prisons.
After IS
militants lost control of the oil-rich northeast, Turkey invaded areas along
its borders last October and now controls slivers of land in the very complex
region. There are tensions between the Turkish-allied fighters and Kurdish
groups, which Ankara considers terrorists. In addition, hundreds of U.S. troops
remain in northeast Syria.
The
International Crisis Group reported on April 7 that there are 66,000 women and
children in al-Hol and 4,000 in Roj, most of them relatives of IS extremists,
“but some former affiliates of the group themselves.” The Brussels-based think
tank said that the majority are either Syrians or Iraqis, with the numbers
roughly split, and around 13,500 are from other countries.
The group said
humanitarian workers described the detention sites “as ridden with tuberculosis
and perilously overcrowded, with one speaking of `dramatic mortality rates’.”
Vorontsov said
“no country would like to have these people back, with this very negative and
very dangerous terrorist background.”
But he said
there are about 9,000 children and the first priority should be to save those
under 6 years old, “because in this period of time children are absolutely not
in the position to be indoctrinated.”
Vorontsov said
the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism, which he heads, is pushing the issue very
strongly with countries whose citizens are detained.
Only a small
number are repatriating their citizens, including Central Asian countries, the
United States and Russia, he said.
Women are “a
more difficult story,” Vorontsov said.
There are
“victims of terrorism” who didn’t understand what they were doing when they
accompanied the men in their families to Syria and Iraq, he said, “but there
are a lot of radicalized women among detained people in camps.”
Vorontsov said
he believes the way forward is to prosecute the women and then rehabilitate and
reintegrate them into society, but he conceded that it’s “a very challenging
issue.”
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/07/10/world/middleeast/ap-un-united-nations-syria-islamic-state.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1350743_
--------
Biden as
president will raise Kashmir issue with India, says his adviser
Anwar Iqbal
Jul 11 2020
WASHINGTON:
The Biden administration, if elected, will raise the issue of Kashmir with
India and would also convey its concerns on a recent Indian law that
discriminates against Muslims, says the Biden campaign’s foreign policy
adviser, Antony Blinken.
In a Thursday
afternoon dialogue on American foreign policy at the Hudson Institute,
Washington, Blinken also said that the Trump administration’s Iran strategy had
“backfired in a massive way”.
Blinken, who
is a former deputy national security adviser and deputy secretary of state, has
been tasked with drafting the foreign policy of the Biden campaign. As
moderator Walter Russel Mead noted, Blinken’s views have become increasingly
important because former vice president Joe Biden’s victory in the November
election has moved from “a possibility to a likelihood”.
It was Mead
who raised the issue of Kashmir in the conversation, pointing out that India
had some serious human rights and democracy issues, particularly with Muslims,
in Kashmir and elsewhere.
“We obviously
have challenges now and real concerns, for example, about some of the actions
the Indian government has taken, particularly in cracking down on freedom of
movement and freedom of speech in Kashmir, and about some of the laws on
citizenship,” said Blinken while responding to the moderator.
Blinken
declares that concerns on recent Indian law that discriminates against Muslims
will be conveyed to Delhi
“You are
always better in engaging with a partner, and with a vitally important one like
India, when you can speak frankly and directly about areas where you have
differences, even as you are working to build a greater cooperation,” he added.
Blinken said
that this would be the Biden administration’s approach while discussing Kashmir
and other issues with India because “we have seen evidence that it works”.
Mead noted
that while India was a democracy, “it has somewhat a different view of what
that might mean than we do”.
Blinken
pointed out that while tearing up the US-Iran nuclear agreement in May 2018,
the Trump administration claimed that it would negotiate a better deal and the
abrogation would make the Middle East a safer place, but it failed to achieve
both objectives.
“In fact, the
opposite has happened,” said Blinken, adding that the action isolated the US
from the partners who helped negotiate the agreement.
“And much more
importantly, Iran is restarting dangerous components of its nuclear programme,
putting itself in a position where it has a greater capacity to develop a
nuclear weapon now than it did when it signed the agreement,” he said.
The Biden
administration, he said, would avoid “schizophrenic see-saw” of the Trump
administration on Iran, which has brought the world to the brink of a conflict.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1568227/biden-as-president-will-raise-kashmir-issue-with-india-says-his-adviser
--------
Pentagon chief
confirms he was briefed on intelligence about Russian payments to the Taliban
July 10, 2020
(CNN)Secretary
of Defense Mark Esper confirmed Thursday that he had been briefed on
information regarding Russian payments to the Taliban, seemingly acknowledging
that Russia's support for the militant group in Afghanistan is not a
"hoax," as President Donald Trump has claimed. However, Esper also
made clear that he has not seen intelligence that corroborates claims that
American troops were killed as a result of the "bounty" payments,
walking a delicate line between acknowledging a well-known threat and
potentially clashing with the President.
Esper's comments
came during a long-awaited appearance before the House Armed Services
Committee, where lawmakers had their first opportunity to ask the defense
secretary and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley about
their knowledge of intelligence on Russia offering bounties to the Taliban for
killing US troops in Afghanistan.
It was clear
that both men attempted to carefully navigate questions from lawmakers, but
Esper admitted exercising particular caution while addressing inquiries about
whether he had been briefed on the matter and when.
Responding to
a very narrow line of questioning from Rep. Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican,
Esper initially told lawmakers that he did not recall a briefing that included
the word "bounty," but less than an hour later he clarified that
answer when pressed by a Democratic member of the panel.
At that time,
Esper explained that his response to Turner's question had been tailored to
address whether the word "bounty" had ever been included in any
briefing he had received and that he had refrained from elaborating further at
the time in an effort to avoid politicizing the issue.
He went on to
tell lawmakers that he had seen intelligence about Russian payments to the
Taliban in February but added that his top generals did not believe those
initial reports were credible at the time, a claim that appears to clash with
comments made by one of those commanders on Tuesday, who called the reports
"very worrisome."
While that
distinction does not explicitly address lingering questions about the exact
nature of the intelligence cited in recent reports or explain the Trump
administration's seemingly muted response to concerns about Russia's support
for the Taliban, it does, at very least, undercut the President's claim that
the issue is simply a "hoax" perpetrated by Democrats.
Still, there
appears to be a gap between Esper's assessment of the intelligence and that of
other top military commanders.
The top US
general overseeing operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan said Tuesday
that the intelligence concerning Russian operatives offering bounties to
Taliban-linked militants was "very worrisome" but that it wasn't
solid enough to hold up in a court of law.
Gen. Frank
McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command, told a small group of reporters
while traveling to the region that he was not convinced that the Russian bounty
program was directly responsible for the deaths of US personnel.
"The
intelligence wasn't proved to me. It was proved enough to worry me. It wasn't
proved enough that I'd take it to a court of law. That's often true in
battlefield intelligence," McKenzie said, according to a transcript
provided by the Defense Department.
'We're going
to get to the bottom of all that'
Still, Esper
and Milley assured members of the committee Thursday that the military is
looking into the reports of Russian bounties for killing US troops in
Afghanistan.
"We're
going to get to the bottom of all that, but I can assure the families that the
force protection of our force is -- not only for me, but for every commander
all the way down the line -- that's the number one priority for every one of
us. Absolutely," Milley said.
The top US
general also emphasized that Russia's support for the Taliban in Afghanistan
has been well known for years and that its involvement remains a concern
despite the fact that he has not seen intelligence corroborating specific
claims about bounties on American forces.
"We're
going to find out if in fact it's true. And if it is true, we will take
action," Milley said. "We've known for years that the Russians have
been involved, for their own national security interests, in Afghanistan. And
the Russians are not our friends. And their involvement is worrisome."
Esper told
lawmakers he agreed with that assessment and stressed that the military
continues to prioritize force protection.
"I share
the same views as the chairman. The Russians have been involved, and many many
other countries, and many other players -- you know, non-state players -- in
Afghanistan for a long time," he said.
"We take
all that into account. And I can tell you on other occasions we have adapted
force posture, we have adapted authorities, equipment, you name it, rules of
engagement, to make sure that our forces are well protected and able to
accomplish their mission," Esper added.
While there
are still unanswered questions about intelligence on Russian bounties after
Thursday's hearing, the testimony from top military leaders will likely
reinforce bipartisan concerns about the broader US effort to deter Russia and
other foreign governments from supporting militant groups in Afghanistan.
Milley
acknowledged that the Trump administration was "perhaps not" doing
"as much as we could or should" to deter Russia and other foreign
governments from supporting militant groups in Afghanistan.
Specifically,
Milley said he believes there is not currently a viable military response but
suggested the US could take additional strategic action to better address
Russia's support for the Taliban.
Lingering
concerns
Esper's and
Milley's testimony comes as several former national security officials also
voiced concerns about the need for a response should claims about Russian
bounties be verified.
Celeste
Wallander, former special assistant to the President and senior director for
Russia/Eurasia at the National Security Council, said Thursday that the
Russians offering bounties for US troops is an escalation because "if
true, it is an act, a policy of the Russian Ministry of Defense and political
leadership, to have American soldiers killed."
"Normally
the United States and Russia seek to deconflict in theaters, like in
Syria," she noted during the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.
"Even during the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States, when
they were involved in conflicts in the same region, took great care to not kill
one another's soldiers because of the potential escalatory implications."
"So
that's why it's significant," she said. Wallander added that she believed
the motivation for Russia to want to kill US troops was tied to it trying to
drive the US out of Afghanistan.
"They
don't want us there. They don't want NATO there," she said, adding they
would use bounties because "they want to exploit the deniability, the
asymmetric operations. They want to have the benefit of the action without the
costs."
During the
hearing, retired Gen. John Nicholson, the former commander of US Forces
Afghanistan, said the information -- if validated -- "calls into question
the good faith of the Taliban" and he called for the US force presence to
remain steady.
"I think
that this level of 8,600, we should hold there until the Taliban deliver on
their portion of the peace agreement and we move to the next stage," he
said.
However,
Nicholson pointed to Russia's provision of small arms to the Taliban, saying
that "specifically offering bounties is a small step from what they were
already doing." He said he has "no doubt" that small arms from
the Russians were used by the Taliban "against Afghan units with American
advisers, especially in the Kunduz area."
Nicholson
called on the Taliban to sever ties with al Qaeda, begin the peace talks and
lower their levels of violence.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/09/politics/esper-briefed-russian-payments-to-taliban/index.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1350743_
--------
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